Time of Dying
by deltro
Summary: Hiccup has run away from Berk. He's been gone for eight years, with barely any signs proving he's alive. But when Stoick grows gravely ill, the only person left to the position of Chief is Snotlout. The tribe only have one person to turn to: Hiccup. They must contact him as soon as possible and convince him to return to Berk. But he's not the same little boy he once was...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hey guys! I know, I need to stop publishing so many new stories. Sorry, but I just had to write this. I've had the idea in my mind for a little while, and I really wanted to make it come to life. So, I present to you: Time of Dying. Enjoy!

 **IMPORTANT NOTE (PLEASE READ!)**

This story has it where Hiccup never gained the respect of the village. Instead of using tricks in the arena, he just doesn't do anything at all. Ok, carry on!

XXX

Time of Dying — Chapter One

Hiccup has run away from Berk. He's been gone for eight years, with barely any signs proving he is alive. But when Stoick grows extremely ill, the only person left to the position of Chief is Snotlout. The tribe is going into chaos, and they only have one person to turn to: Hiccup. They must contact him as soon as possible, and convince him to return to Berk. But he's not the same little boy he was before….

XXX

Warm, forest-green eyes stared into an emerald-colored pair of eyes. Those florescent green hues stared right back at him, with hints of fear and worry. The boy hesitated, knife still hovering above his head. His arms were growing tired from holding it up for so long. He had been staring at the beast for over half a minute, trying to decipher what was in its eyes. And now, he figured it out.

Fear was in its eyes. Hiccup, the boy, sighed, dropping the knife onto his head. It eventually slid down, until it rested at his side in a clenched fist. The auburn-haired teenager inhaled and exhaled deeply, trying to comprehend what was going on.

"I did this," he muttered shamefully.

He turned to walk off, before glancing back. He hated what he saw. A creature, just as scared as he was, bound and tied to the ground. Even if he didn't kill it, someone else would. His eyes shut tightly, while he sighed quietly. There was no other option.

As Hiccup once again approached the dragon, his hands were trembling. He knew the faster he cut the ropes, the faster he'd be out of this mess. So he glanced around anxiously, before kneeling down beside the dragon.

He sighed tiredly, before suddenly reaching a hand out to grab the first rope. The beast's green eyes snapped right open, its pupils thin.

Hiccup gulped, before quickly slashing the blade across the rope. He did it over and over, until the first rope snapped. Then he moved to the second, and the third. But as the third one was cut, the Night Fury sprung up from his painful position, and pinned the boy to the forest ground.

Hiccup gasped, trying to press himself as far as he could into the ground. The black-scaled dragon parted its jaws, preparing to blast him into oblivion.

'This is it,' Hiccup thought fearfully. 'I'll die by a dragon.'

But as he stared into its emerald-green eyes, he saw something intriguing. He couldn't make out the emotions in its eyes, but he knew it wasn't hatred or a predatory feeling. His eyes widened drastically as he tried to keep eye contact.

Before he knew it, the Night Fury bared its sharp teeth at him, and roared as loudly as it could. It was nearly ear-shattering. The high pitched shrieking sound didn't last long, because the dragon had already turned and sped off. Hiccup watched, body trembling, as the dragon attempted to fly away. Instead, it seemed to crash into several different trees and boulders.

Hiccup shakily got to his feet, and turned to exit the forest. As he was doing so, his legs gave out, and he collapsed with a fearful groan.

XXX

Hiccup wasn't surprised his father got his way again. Turns out Stoick, Hiccup's father, had managed to force the boy into dragon training. Due to this, he found himself angrier than ever. He tried telling his dad he couldn't kill a dragon, but he didn't listen. He just seemed to laugh it off. It was a very one-sided conversation.

The boy sighed as he entered the arena. He was not surprised to hear the others complain about his presence. Gobber tried comforting him, but it just made him feel worse. Gobber had a terrible way with words.

As the first dragon training lesson waged on, Hiccup found himself hiding behind a crate in the arena. He watched through the wooden planks as the other teenagers fled from the Gronckle. It was a tough dragon, with small wings and a large body.

"Get in there, Hiccup!" Gobber called.

But as the auburn-haired Viking tried to get past the crate, a blast erupted from the Gronckle's mouth. Hiccup yelped, ducking back just in time to avoid the blow.

"One shot left!" Gobber announced.

The Gronckle growled, heading straight for Hiccup. Said male gulped, finding himself cornered against the wall. He heard Gobber calling to him fearfully, while the other teens were panting from running around. They would probably be happy with him gone.

"Go back to bed ya overgrown sausage!" Gobber exclaimed suddenly, knocking Hiccup from his thoughts.

He realized Gobber had torn the Gronckle away from him just on time, where the blast had struck the wall instead of him. The wall was made of stone, which seemed to keep it from getting holes in the walls. Smoke rose into the air from the blast, while there was a black pattern on the wall.

"Remember," Gobber growled sternly, examining the worn out teenagers. "A dragon will always, always," he drew the word out while turning to Hiccup, "go for the kill."

But all Hiccup felt was confusion.

XXX

"So why didn't you?"

That was the only question Hiccup could ask. He had found himself wandering right back to the forest, at Raven's Point, where he had originally shot down the Night Fury. He sighed, ambling away from the scene. He headed in the direction where he thought he saw the dragon fly to.

As he headed deeper into the forest, he saw a couple black scales. He found himself walking towards an opening in a few boulders, and was surprised to see a beautiful cove. There was a little lake, with many fish. Lush grass was planted on the ground, and it was an overall gorgeous hiding spot.

Hiccup frowned, crouching down when he saw a few more black scales. He picked one up, running his fingers across the strange surface.

"Well this was stupid," he muttered.

Abruptly, he was knocked back out of fear. A familiar black figure launched itself at the wall of the cove, as if trying to escape. Hiccup watched with wide eyes, and a relieved smile. He had found it.

The Night Fury growled, retreating back to the ground. Hiccup hastily climbed down to a boulder closer to the ground of the cove, while pulling out his journal and charcoal stick. He watched intently as the dragon became frustrated, trying to hunt for itself and failing at flying away.

He quickly sketched out the form of the dragon, with clean lines and even proportions. He was very talented with artwork.

"Why don't you just… fly away?" he asked himself quietly.

And then, he spotted something interesting. On the tip of the dragon's tail, a certain piece was missing. A tailfin. There was one on the right side, but not on the left. Had he done that? Was that why it couldn't fly?

Hiccup felt a strange twinge of guilt, frowning in thought. He rubbed away the charcoal on the paper that marked the missing tailfin, realizing that was the problem.

And then, as the dragon spotted him, he gulped and fled from the scene.

XXX

Their words stung him badly. Whether it be them insulting him, or simply telling the truth. He was scrawny, he was weak, and he was nothing. Or at least in their eyes, that is.

Hiccup found himself sighing quietly as the other teens insulted him with such ease. Their effortlessly remarks came so quickly, and it hurt. How was it that easy to hurt someone?

And as the teenagers left to go do something more interesting, Hiccup found himself sitting at the table and reading the Book of Dragons. He used the candlelight to skim through the pages, reading with interest. He couldn't help but wonder what they had on the page for Night Fury.

"Kill on sight, kill on sight, kill on sight," he sighed, flipping through the pages. He had gotten bored seeing the same thing over and over again.

And finally, a nearly-blank page came up. Hiccup frowned in wonder, examining the page thoroughly.

"Speed, unknown. Size, unknown," he murmured, repeating what he read. "Do not engage this dragon. Your only chance is to hope and pray it does not find you."

Hiccup's frown deepened as he stared at the vacant space where the illustration should be. He whipped out his journal, opening it to his latest page, and then tossing it into the book.

XXX

Hiccup found himself entering the cove. He had brought a shield, but it had gotten stuck in between two boulders. And being Hiccup, he could not get it free.

The boy also brought a fish. He was hoping maybe he could test out his theory on this mysterious dragon. The beast hadn't killed him, and it couldn't seem to hunt for itself. He wanted to see what would happen if he helped out.

He gasped as he turned to see the midnight-black dragon crouched on the outcrop of a boulder. The winged reptile stepped off of it, and ambled towards Hiccup slowly. It stared at the fish hungrily, pupils dilating and mouth opening slightly to grab the fish.

And then, it snarled.

Hiccup frowned, glancing down to see it staring at the dagger in his vest. He hesitated, not wanting to give up his only line of self-defense. But finally, he sighed and slowly pulled the dagger out, causing the dragon to growl loudly.

He dropped it onto the ground with a clunk. The Night Fury still wasn't satisfied, so he cautiously balanced the knife on his foot, and then tossed it into the little lake.

The dragon watched it go, and then returned its gaze to Hiccup. The beast quickly sat back, pupils enlarging once more and ear twitching curiously. Hiccup furrowed his eyebrows, wondering how such a vicious and feared creature could look… cute.

He slowly held the fish out, watching wonderingly as it crawled forward and lifted its head to grab onto the fish.

"Huh," he hummed. "Toothless…." He stared at the mouth of the dragon, noticing how there were no teeth. But when he had roared a couple days before, they were definitely there. "I could have sworn you had—"

Abruptly, razor-sharp teeth appeared from its gums, and it snatched up the fish in one go. It almost seemed as though it swallowed it whole. It must have been quite hungry.

Suddenly, it continued towards Hiccup, who backed away with a frightened expression.

"Uh," he panicked. "No, no. I don't—I don't have any more."

The dragon corned him to a boulder. Hiccup gulped fearfully, when the dragon's emerald-green eyes began to roll back into its head. A disgusting regurgitating sound came from its throat, and out came half of the fish he had fed it.

Hiccup stared in disgust as it landed right into his lap. He wrinkled his nose, trying to swallow back his breakfast that was trying to make a reappearance.

He awkwardly glanced away, while the dragon continued watching him expectantly. He turned back to stare at the reptile, before it looked down to the regurgitated fish. Hiccup looked down as well, sighing in defeat.

The scrawny Viking slowly lifted the fish to his mouth, before biting into it reluctantly. He hummed, trying to feign his gratefulness.

"Mmm," he lied. "Mm-hmm." The Night Fury just snorted, lifting its muzzle and then bringing it back down. It was as if it were nodding, encouraging the boy to swallow the fish. "Mmph!" he complained. He slowly pushed it down his throat, but it went back into his mouth. Finally, he got to swallow it.

He shuddered grossly, trying to rid himself of the taste. He turned back to the dragon, and got the message. It was just trying to share with him.

Hiccup gave a wary smile. Finally, something amazing happened.

The Night Fury narrowed its eyes at the grin. Suddenly, it sat back up and lifted its upper lip. The upper lip curled up, revealing toothless gums. The corner of its mouth tilted up, forming into an awkward smile.

Hiccup watched in awe, before reaching out a hand to pet it. The dragon's grin vanished, and he snarled. It flew off, only to land sloppily on the other side of the cove.

XXX

As the sun was setting, Hiccup found himself drawing in the dirt. He sighed in content, glancing over to see the dragon hovering over him curiously. His eyes widened, but then he continued to draw. He didn't want to scare him off.

He heard a loud snap, and the rustling of leaves. He furrowed his eyebrows, looking over his shoulder to see the Night Fury breaking a sapling out of the soil. It began sketching in the dirt as well, gazing back to Hiccup every now and then.

It finally finished its masterpiece. When Hiccup stood, he was stunned to just see a bunch of random curved lines. He frowned in thought, absentmindedly stepping onto one of the lines. A growl emitted from the dragon, making him lift his foot off of the line. The dragon immediately stopped growling, and did a purr-like sound.

Eventually, Hiccup got the message. He stepped over each and every line, managing to find himself out of the maze-like activity. But as he finished, he felt the dragon breathing on the back of his head, ruffling his hair.

He glanced back, turning to face the dragon. They were less than two feet apart from one another.

Hiccup nervously reached a hand out, trying to touch it once more. The black reptile growled, upper lip curling back to reveal teeth. Hiccup winced, stepping back one step.

He tried a different method. He shut his eyes, and turned his head away from the Night Fury. He held his hand out once more, waiting to hopefully touch the dragon.

And then, he felt the warm scales against his palm.

The boy tensed, eyes screwing tightly closed, before he realized the dragon wasn't going to hurt him. Once he looked back to face it, the dragon pulled back from his hand and snorted, before it fled.

XXX

An eventful two weeks passed. It was filled with dragon training and Hiccup bonding with Toothless. He had named his dragon companion Toothless, due to his retractable teeth. He also found out that the Night Fury wasn't an "it." It was a "he."

They had bonded very closely to one another. After Hiccup heard Gobber talking about "a downed dragon's a dead dragon", he had been determined to help Toothless fly again.

So he crafted with his best effort. He created a leather tailfin, which worked as a prosthetic. He was still working out a couple errors in the contraption, but otherwise, it was going smoothly. They had just been on their first flight, where they both were almost killed. They weren't, though, which is what matters. Hiccup had managed to get himself back into the saddle, and steer Toothless away from the sea stacks.

The pair sat on the shores of the ocean, sighing in content. Toothless was gobbling down his dinner: a pile of fish. Hiccup sat by a fire, with a fish wrapped onto a stick. When Toothless regurgitated half of a fish, Hiccup just shuddered and shook his head.

"Uh, no thanks. I'm good," he murmured, holding up his cooked fish on a stick.

Toothless just nodded, and returned to his stack of fish. As they were eating, though, a group of Terrible Terrors flew over. They were small dragons, with not much firepower. They lacked the ability to be great at combat, too.

They started cawing at Toothless' fish, while said Night Fury just growled warningly. As he was guarding his fish, though, he saw one of them being pulled back from the pile. He grumbled, spotting one of the Terrible Terrors sneakily stealing a piece of fish.

He quickly stole it back, gobbling it up in one bite. His throat vibrated into a mocking laugh, making Hiccup smile. The Terrible Terror huffed, scratching his claws against the ground. He crouched down, preparing to blow a fireball at Toothless.

As he was opening his mouth, though, the Night Fury effortlessly blew out a tiny ball of fire, which hit the Terrible Terror inside. The small dragon grumbled, going wobbly as he tried to walk away.

Hiccup smiled with an amused expression. He sat up, holding out a fish to the little guy. "Not so fireproof on the inside, are ya?" he asked with another grin.

The dragon perked up, quickly devouring the fish. His amber eyes watched Hiccup intently, before it carefully crept over, and snuggled into his side.

Hiccup watched with shock and disbelief. He couldn't believe his eyes. Yet another dragon was warming up to him. All it took was one fish, and the Terrible Terror was already cuddling him.

The boy scratched his head, while it purred.

"Everything we know about you guys… is wrong."

XXX

It was week three of dragon training. Hiccup was still failing miserably at the course, but he wasn't really one to care. He couldn't bear to harm another dragon. They were nothing but innocent, intelligent creatures. Everything they knew about them was wrong.

He knew for sure Astrid would place first. But even then, his life was not going well. The teens still harassed him. Snotlout threw a punch every now and then, while the others (excluding Astrid and Fishlegs) verbally hurt him. Their insults hurt quite a lot, actually.

Hiccup couldn't deny what was bound to happen soon. The Vikings would discover Toothless, and he'd be killed. Then Hiccup would either be executed or banished. He couldn't let that happen. He knew he had to do something, and fast.

He didn't want to stick around long enough to see Astrid slaughter the Monstrous Nightmare. He knew he should somehow help it, but he wasn't sure how. There was no way the Vikings would believe him about the good in dragons. They'd call him crazy, a betrayer, and a sorry excuse for a Viking. Not that he wanted to be one, though.

So that night, before the final exam, Hiccup snuck out. He told Toothless to guard the arena, and to be on the lookout for any guards. He trusted the Night Fury with his life.

He found himself sneaking into the arena, and heading right for the cells that contained the dragons. He first let out a Deadly Nadder, who growled at him. But he did the same thing he did with Toothless. He shut his eyes, turned his head, and held his hand out. Once the blue and yellow scaled dragon met his hand halfway, he managed to tell her to get out of there. She did.

Next, he freed the Hideous Zippleback. One head released the green gas at him, but Hiccup gestured to the open gates of the arena. They quickly abandoned hurting him, and fled the caged area.

He then released the Gronckle. It was a tough, burly dragon. It was smart, though. So she took quick notice of her surroundings, and headed out the arena.

As Hiccup was freeing the Monstrous Nightmare, he heard panicked voices coming from outside the arena. He gulped, quickly whispering to the red and black dragon to calm him.

"Shhh, shhh!" he shushed him. "It's ok, just follow me. I'm getting you out of here."

The Monstrous Nightmare had heard the other dragons being freed, and obeyed. He narrowed his eyes, and cautiously followed Hiccup out of the arena.

Suddenly, Toothless came into the entrance of the arena, and looked anxious. Hiccup got the message. Guards were here.

He gulped, and then quickly climbed aboard the Night Fury. The Monstrous Nightmare watched with interest, before flying off as Hiccup ordered him to. The boy shifted his foot in the stirrup, and Toothless kicked off of the ground.

They shot away from the arena, with the other dragons heading straight away from Berk. Hiccup sighed in relief, trying to block out all the angry shouts coming from the village.

Hiccup guided Toothless to the cove, where they landed as quietly as possible. There, resting against two boulders, were two backpacks. In one of them was food and water, while the other contained clothes, paper, charcoal sticks, and a few supplies in case Toothless' prosthetic were to be destroyed.

He knew exactly what he was doing.

"Alright," he sighed. "Here goes nothing."

He grabbed one of the pieces of paper, and began writing with the charcoal stick. A little over halfway through, he heard the voices of Vikings. He cursed to himself, trying to finish up the letter. His charcoal stick flew across the paper, writing the last notes he needed.

Finally, he finished. He quickly stashed away the paper, hiding part of it under a small boulder.

He knew why he hid it. Part of him wanted Berk to find the letter, where he explained everything. But the other part of him wanted them to NOT find the letter, and simply assume he was killed. If they thought he was dead, they wouldn't know about Toothless, his troubles, his running away scheme, and they wouldn't bother looking for him. However, if they found the letter, maybe they'd believe him.

No, they wouldn't. They'd never believe him.

So he hopped onto Toothless' shoulders, and patted his head. "Alright, let's go." The Night Fury crooned, before soaring into the sky. Away from Berk, away from his home, and away from his troubles. But what he didn't know was that you can't always run from everything. Fate had a strange way of working.


	2. Chapter 2

XXX

Time of Dying — Chapter Two

Hiccup has run away from Berk. He's been gone for eight years, with barely any signs proving he is alive. But when Stoick grows extremely ill, the only person left to the position of Chief is Snotlout. The tribe is going into chaos, and they only have one person to turn to: Hiccup. They must contact him as soon as possible, and convince him to return to Berk. But he's not the same little boy he was before….

XXX

Hacking coughs filled the heated room, creating a loud, thunderous noise. Several people were crowded around the large man who was coughing, hoping to get some information on his current state and if he was all right to keep his position as Chief.

The bulky, muscular man had a long, ginger-colored beard. Several white strands blended into the hair, along with the creases on his face. They all indicated to his age, making him look twice as exhausted as he really was. The man was still coughing into the crevice of his arm, where the elbow bent. The people around him frowned sympathetically, while a healer helped get the man comfortable.

The man was known as Stoick the Vast, Chief of the Hairy Hooligan tribe. He was highly respected among his peers, along with the other tribes nearby him. However, it seemed he wasn't as strong as he came off as. He was extremely stressed and sad. Add a sickness to that, and he was stuck in the Healer's building.

Gothi, the Healer, held a cup of tea towards the Chief, signaling for him to drink up. He nodded gratefully, hurriedly swallowing the cool liquid. His throat burned profusely, and he hated how his voice was raspy and could only be used quietly. The liquid did a great job at soothing his throat, but it was temporary. Next thing Stoick knew, he was back to coughing.

"Stoick? Are ya sure you don't want someone to take over? It can be jus' for a little while," Stoick's best companion, Gobber, spoke. Gobber was the blacksmith of the village, crafting weapons and other useful things for the tribe.

Stoick shook his head at the suggestion. "There is," he paused, trying to clear his throat. His voice was barely understandable, due to the scratchiness. "There is no one to fill in my place."

Gobber frowned sympathetically. He knew his friend was very ill, and he most likely would not fully recover, if at all. Someone needed to take over as Chief, right?

"Are ya sure, Stoick?" he asked once more.

"Yes."

Gobber sighed in defeat, before nodding. "'Ight, Stoick. Get well soon."

Stoick just nodded, sighing quietly at the people left the room. He laid back into the bed, trying to relax his tense muscles. It didn't work. He was too worked up to rest now.

Eight years. Eight years since his only son had vanished without a single trace. Their only assumption was he was killed. Stoick could not bear the thought of him simply running away.

And then, after they had found the cove, they got their answers. They found several black scales, along with Hiccup's dagger in the little lake. They also found a huge crater where something had been taken down from the sky. Hiccup's words rang through his head.

"Ok, but I shot a Night Fury."

The village was shocked to find it was true. He had, in fact, taken down the offspring of lightning and death itself. Why hadn't they believed him?

But now, it seemed the Night Fury had taken down him. The hunter had become the hunted. It was a terrible way of putting it, but it was true. Hiccup had died while trying to fight a Night Fury. The very one he had shot down in a raid, and no one believed him.

Stoick went into a state of shock after that. The Vikings had heard the dragons being released from the arena, and went on the lookout for them. But as they were out there, they were completely unaware of the events that had just taken place.

Finally, after a month of searching, they found the crater, and the cove. They saw the evidence, and went right ahead to tell Stoick. He was very depressed after that.

First his wife, and now his son? Dragons were nothing but monsters. He had spent many years searching for the Dragon's Nest, but came up with nothing. Not a single clue to where the beasts resided.

About three years after Hiccup's disappearance, the dragon raids stopped. One day, they just… stopped. First the Vikings went by a week without a raid, and then another, and another. They were all suspicious, and wondered what had happened. They contacted the other tribes, to see if someone had taken out the nest. None of them had any clue what was going on.

And now, he was gravely ill. It started exactly on the day of Hiccup's eight year death date. He woke up feeling terrible. He thought it was just because of the reminder, but a couple days after, the symptoms were unbearable. He was convinced by Gobber to go to Gothi, who immediately insisted he better rest. He had definitely been reluctant, but it was the Elder's orders. He had no choice.

That was a week ago. Now, it was the tenth day of his sickness. He was having trouble talking, his throat burned terribly, and his ears rang annoyingly. He had never experienced anything like it. He had no appetite, but was constantly thirsty. Stoick felt absolutely hopeless.

And then, Gothi walked over to him. She rested a hand on his forehead, checking his fever. It was still up very high. She sighed quietly, then hobbled out of the room.

XXX

Gothi ambled straight to a certain group of young adults. All of them were twenty-three years old, and they had changed drastically over the course of eight years.

Fishlegs had grown even larger. He was bigger than before, and even grew a small beard. He was engaged to Ruffnut.

Ruffnut wore her hair the same way, but it was slightly darker. Instead of the dull blonde color, it was now a light bronze. She had been proposed to by Fishlegs, who needed moral support from the others.

Tuffnut cut his hair, and it now rested just below his ears. He was taller, a bit more muscular, and didn't argue with his sister as much. The twins had learned to get along a bit better, but still disputed over little things.

Snotlout had grown some stubble. He was taller, gained muscle, and his hair was a couple inches longer. He was also rewarded a certain position after Hiccup's death.

Yes, Snotlout was heir to the Hairy Hooligan tribe. There was no one else for the position, besides Astrid. But Astrid had declined. She knew it wasn't for her.

Astrid had also changed. Her hair was blonder than ever, and longer. She still wore it in a thick braid, but had changed her attire. Her form grew curvy, and she had a more feminine figure now. She wore a fur coat, with a brown spiked skirt, and blue leggings. Her boots were a thick, tan material, with fur lining the top.

Snotlout still chased after her. He said as future chief, he needed a wife. She hated him, though. She declined every single time.

Gothi spotted Fishlegs with Ruffnut, and tapped them on their shoulders. They immediately turned to look at her, and she gestured for them to follow. They reluctantly obliged.

Next, the elder led the way to Tuffnut. Ruffnut called for her brother to follow them, which he did. He huffed quietly, but nonetheless trailed behind the other three Vikings.

Then there was Astrid. She quickly obeyed Gothi, knowing she had to respect the elder. Not only was she an elder and healer, but she was unbelievably wise. She never spoke, though.

The group found themselves heading to the Great Hall, where Snotlout was boasting to some of the Berkians.

"Snotlout!" Astrid called. He groaned, turning to face her.

"Hey, sweet cheeks! I was—"

She growled, punching him on the shoulder. "C'mon," she ordered. "Gothi wants to talk to us."

"Talk?" he scoffed. "She can't even—"

Suddenly, a croak came from the direction of Gothi.

"Ick—upp," she tried speaking, her voice raspy and worn out.

Everyone turned to face her, shock evident on their features.

"Did—did she just… talk?" Fishlegs asked.

"Ick—up!" she tried again.

"It sounds like she's saying…." Astrid trailed off, frowning in thought.

"Hiccup!" she repeated, more clearly.

"What's useless got to do with anything?" Snotlout snorted.

"Snotface, I swear—"

"Alive!" Gothi interrupted Astrid. Everyone gasped, trying to understand what she was saying. "Hiccup, lives!"

"What?" Ruffnut asked. "No way. Gothi, Hiccup died. By a Night Fury!"

"Hiccup, live!" Gothi insisted. "He run. Run with Night Fury."

"Run with Night Fury?" Astrid asked, tilting her head. "You don't mean—"

"He ran away?" Fishlegs asked.

Gothi nodded. "Night Fury!" she reminded.

"Ok, she's officially gone mad!" Snotlout sighed.

They ignored him. "Hiccup ran away… with a Night Fury?" they asked with disbelief evident.

"Come!" she ordered. They exchanged glances, before trailing after the elderly woman.

She led the way to out of the Great Hall, and to the forge. Gobber was currently working on sharpening an axe, before taking notice of the crew.

"Oh, what'd I miss?" he asked.

"Gothi's talking!" Fishlegs exclaimed. "And she's saying crazy stuff."

"Gothi? Talking?" Gobber queried. "Hmm. Maybe we can get 'er to translate."

Gothi nodded, and grabbed her staff. She began writing into the soil, drawing symbols and letters that represented what she wanted to say.

"Hiccup sh—wait, did you just write Hiccup?" Gobber asked. Gothi nodded. "Uh… ok. Hiccup shoots down Night Fury. Night Fury gets released. And then—Gothi, we know this story. Hiccup gets killed."

Gothi wacked him on the head with her staff. "Ow! Okay, okay!" he grumbled.

"And then, Night Fury spares Hiccup? Hiccup finds Night Fury again, and trains him—hold on hold on," Gobber muttered.

"This doesn't make any sense!" Astrid groaned. "Gothi, what are you talking about?"

Gothi shook her head, motioning to the dirt. Gobber sighed, and continued translating it.

"She says… Hiccup trains Night Fury. They bond. Hiccup releases dragons in arena, and runs away on Night Fury."

Their eyebrows all furrowed together, while their mouths formed into frowns.

"What makes you think that happened?" Fishlegs asked.

"Vision," Gothi croaked.

"Wait, wait," Astrid spoke up. "The dragons DID get released the night Stoick noticed Hiccup missing…."

"You can't possibly think this is true, right?" Ruffnut asked incredulously.

"Yeah, since when could useless train a Night Fury?!" Snotlout queried disbelievingly.

Gothi narrowed her eyes, clutching her staff tightly. She then cast her gaze back to the dirt, using her foot to wipe away the previous markings in the soil. She then pointed her staff at the ground, and began sketching out more translations.

"She says… go to Raven's Point. Find a cove, and there will be a note from Hiccup," Gobber translated, before giving Gothi a strange look. "Gothi, you can't be serious!"

"Guys," Tuffnut interrupted. "Let's just go check this thing out, and when we don't find anything, Gothi will leave us alone."

Everyone stared at him in shock, mouths hanging open. Tuffnut frowned, looking bewildered. "What?" he asked.

"D-Did Tuffnut just say something smart?" Ruffnut queried. The others glanced over at her, and then back to Tuffnut, who looked proud.

"Ha! I guess I AM smart! HA! Wait—what was my idea again?"

"Ugh!" they groaned.

"Let's just go," Astrid murmured, leading the way into the forest. They all shrugged, before following after her in search of the mysterious note.

XXX

It was nearly silent as they trekked through the forest. Besides their occasional observations, like Fishlegs spotting a strange bug, then it was quiet. Their curiosity was increasing dramatically by now. Was Gothi right? Was Hiccup even alive?

Snotlout suddenly groaned frustratingly, causing the others to glance over at him. "UGH! This is so boring!" he complained. "I have better things to do!"

"Pfft, like what?" Astrid muttered.

"Like prepare for my Chief ceremony!" he retorted, smirking triumphantly.

They all grunted disapprovingly, before continuing their trip through the woods.

Suddenly, there was a loud whacking noise, a pained yelp, and the rustling of leaves. Everyone jumped, looking back to see what happened.

It was Gobber. He had paused at a torn tree, where he must have tried moving a branch out of the way. The branch had snapped back at him, whacking him right by his eye.

Snotlout and Tuffnut burst out laughing at the sight. With Gobber glaring with one eye at the branch, and covering the other with a hand.

"Wait!" Astrid shushed them. They gradually stifled their laughter, returning their attention to where Astrid pointed.

She pointed to where there was a long indent in the ground. It led from the damaged tree, to over a small hill. They exchanged glances, slowly approaching the scene. Gobber grumbled to himself, rubbing his injured eye.

They slowly crept towards where the crater led to. There, they saw a very small clearing, where there was—a bola?

"Is that a—a bola?" Fishlegs asked.

"Yeah," Ruffnut agreed. "And the ropes have been cut."

"Look!" Tuffnut exclaimed. He pointed to beside a boulder, where there was a single black scale. They all held their breath, immediately recognizing what it was. "A Night Fury scale," Tuffnut murmured quietly.

"Gothi? What is this?" Astrid asked, turning to face her.

Gothi drew in the dirt with her staff once more, then gestured for Gobber to translate.

"Harold—OW!" he cried as Gothi hit him with her staff. "Sorry! Geez! I can only see with one eye!" He sighed shaking his head and correcting himself. "Hiccup, I mean, took down the Night Fury and then… freed it."

The gang frowned in a doubtful manner. There was no way Hiccup would release a Night Fury… right? It seemed that eight years ago, he was determined to prove himself. Why would he give that up for a beast?

"Why would Hiccup do that?" Fishlegs asked, voicing their thoughts.

"He saw good in the dragon," Gothi rasped, staring at the damaged bola.

They exchanged glances, not understanding. How could a dragon be… good? They were monsters! They had killed hundreds of their people!

Gothi didn't take notice of their confused and disbelieving faces. Instead, she led the way forward. They reluctantly followed after her, while she hobbled off deeper into the forest.

"Does she even know where she's going?" Snotlout asked.

But abruptly, his voice was cut off by a scream. He seemed to have tripped over something, and stumbled forward. He was falling for a second or two, before his body came in contact with the ground below him. He had fallen into the cove.

"Yes," Gothi answered with a smirk.

The others laughed, but stopped once Snotlout lifted his head and glared at them.

Gothi led the way to the tiny entrance of the cove. Gobber had trouble squeezing through, but eventually Astrid gave his arm a strong tug, and he was in the cove.

They glanced around, sighing sadly.

"So," Ruffnut murmured sorrowfully. "This is where Hiccup was killed."

"No," Gothi disagreed. "Look for note."

Everyone protested with groans, but stopped as Gothi tapped the ground with her staff loudly. They finally began searching around, trying to locate the supposedly hidden letter.

Astrid was lost in thought as she looked around. Was it possible Hiccup was alive? And if he was, why didn't he ever return to Berk? But then, she recalled all the trouble they put him through. No one believed him about the Night Fury, and they always bullied him. She hadn't specifically insulted him, but she had given him cold glares and embarrassed him in dragon training one time. Why would he want to return?

But why had he befriended a Night Fury? Gothi said he saw the good in the dragon, but how? They were just destructive and heartless monsters… right?

And then, she saw something strange. It was a piece of white poking out from beneath a little boulder, and was nearly concealed by the tall grass growing around it. The shield maiden narrowed her icy-blue eyes in thought, before approaching the weird object.

She knew she'd have to be careful. If it was the letter and she tugged it out from under the rock, it could tear in half. So she'd have to lift the boulder.

"Gobber!" she called.

"Yeh?" he asked.

"I found something. Can you come lift part of this boulder?" Astrid asked hopefully. She wanted answers.

It caught the attention of the others, who quickly came to see what she had found. Gobber strolled over, kneeling down to see the piece of paper.

"Yeh, it's paper alright," he muttered, before putting one hook on the bottom of the boulder, and the other on the side. He grunted in effort, before pushing forward with all his might. The boulder creaked as it began moving.

Finally, Gobber managed to scoot the boulder off of the whole page of paper.

Astrid quickly snatched it up, while Gobber stood up and exhaled sharply from the effort he put into moving the rock.

"What's it say?" Ruffnut asked.

Astrid inhaled deeply, before she began reading the long note.

 _"Dear whoever finds this,_

 _I hope no one ever reads this. Or, maybe I hope that someone DOES read this. I'm not sure. Either way, here it is._

 _By the time someone finds this (if they ever do) I'll be long gone. The reason I wrote and hid this, is so that if someone really does care enough, they can find it and read it._

 _I'm running away. Simple as that. I was thrown into a world with bullies and hurt, only to be saved by our enemy. A dragon saved me. I shot him down that night at the raid, but no one believed me. Not that I really expected them to, though. I came looking for him, and stared into his eyes. When I was raising the knife to stab him, I saw something strange. I saw fear. I looked in his eyes, and I saw myself._

 _So I freed him. Yeah, yeah. Go ahead and scream to the skies how I'm such a disappointment. It's not my fault I found peace with something that could save hundreds of people's lives._

 _I bonded with him later. Turns out I crippled him when I shot him down. He needs me to fly. I made a new tailfin, and now, we fly together. Which is how I'll get out of this place._

 _This Night Fury loves me, and I love him. No one else seems to care about me. My father? Disappointed and ashamed. The villagers? Hate me. The other teens? Hurt me. The only person who gave me a sliver of respect was Gobber. He is like a father figure for me._

 _I don't know how long I'll be gone. I don't know if I'll ever come back. If I do, it better be worth it. If it's not, I'll just leave again. After all, nobody would miss me._

 _I hope one day, I'll be happy. Maybe one day, I'll experience REAL happiness. Not the kind you feel after your bully finishes harassing you. No, that's just sad. Sad, sad relief. No one deserves to go through that._

 _So goodbye. I'm off to explore the world. With a REAL friend. My ONLY friend._

 _-Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the III"_

Everyone was silent after Astrid finished reading the letter. Ruffnut had tears gathering in her eyes, and Fishlegs was letting his fall freely. Gobber looked completely crushed, while Tuffnut had a single tear getting ready to drip down from his eye. Snotlout looked sorrowful and guilty, with his eyes closed and his fists clenched. Astrid was crying, despite her tough reputation. Her hands holding the paper shook, and her vision was obscured by tears.

Gothi shut her eyes, breathing in and out calmly. When she reopened her eyes, she glanced over at the group of young adults. Suddenly, she sighed sadly.

"Told you so," she murmured.

XXX

 **A/N:** There's Chapter Two! I hope you guys liked it! (: Should the next chapter be from Hiccup's POV or still Berk's?


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Wow. Ok… wow. 40 favs, 61 follows, and 13 reviews?! That's awesome guys! Thank you SO much! **I'd especially like to thank Silver Wind 02** for reviewing on nearly ALL my stories. **Thank you, it means a LOT to me.** (:

 **OC NOTE:** Two of these OC's, Asger and his dragon Lightning, belong to: the core of justice.

 **In case I made a mistake, here's a little side note:** This chapter, Chapter Three, was originally from Hiccup's POV and how he made it for eight years. BUT, then you guys said to continue Berk's POV, and to give Hiccup a mysterious vibe. I totally agree, so you won't see Hiccup's POV until later in the story. Ok, that's all. Enjoy!

XXX

Time of Dying — Chapter Two

Hiccup has run away from Berk. He's been gone for eight years, with barely any signs proving he is alive. But when Stoick grows extremely ill, the only person left to the position of Chief is Snotlout. The tribe is going into chaos, and they only have one person to turn to: Hiccup. They must contact him as soon as possible, and convince him to return to Berk. But he's not the same little boy he was before….

XXX

Astrid stared at the crumpled note in her hands, eyes wide and flooding with tears. The others were crying as well, shocked at their latest discovery. All this time, for eight years, Hiccup was still alive. He had run away, because of how terrible his life was on Berk. Hiccup wasn't the traitor; they were. They drove him away.

"I-I can't believe it," Ruffnut whispered.

"Yeah," Fishlegs murmured. "Who knew?"

"Is he even still alive?" Gobber asked.

"Yes," Gothi croaked. "He lives."

"What're we gonna do?" Astrid asked quietly.

"Do we… tell Stoick?" Gobber queried uncertainly.

"No, no way!" Snotlout growled. "I've waited eight years to be chief! I-I can't just let useless come along and ruin that!"

"Shut up, Snotlout," Astrid snapped. "We've got more important things to worry about."

"Maybe we should send him a letter?" Fishlegs suggested quietly.

"A letter?" Tuffnut asked.

"Yeah. We could, like, send some kind of creature to track him down by the Night Fury scale. I mean—if he's alive, surely he'd still be hanging out with the Night Fury, right?" he explained.

Everyone went silent for a few moments. It actually sounded like a substantial idea. But what animal could they use to track Hiccup down? A bird? Dragon? But weren't dragons mindless beasts?

"What animal do we use?" Astrid inquired.

Fishlegs gulped, eyes wandering across the whole group. Immediately they knew what creature he was considering.

"Uh oh," they muttered.

XXX

The adults found themselves entering the dragon arena, all looking slightly frightened. How did Hiccup do this? How did he tame a Night Fury?

"Alright," Gobber called. "Everyone remember the plan?"

A chorus of yes's rang out, answering him immediately. He nodded, before glancing over to the others. Finally, he pulled the lever to a dragon cell down, causing the thick stone doors to open.

Out came a blue and yellow Deadly Nadder, who roared furiously. The dragon flapped its wings, struggling to fly around after not being airborne for a long while.

"Shh, shh," Astrid shushed it, stepping forward with two empty hands. She had a weapon on the floor, just in case she needed to defend herself.

The Deadly Nadder halted, looking extremely confused. Why was the Viking girl trying to shush her? Why was she not attacking? And had no weapon?

"It's okay," Astrid murmured softly. "We're not gonna hurt you. We need your help."

The blue and yellow scaled reptile landed on the stone floor of the arena, looking curious. Astrid sighed in relief, realizing she was making progress. She held a hand out to the dragon, feeling frightened and vulnerable without her ax.

Suddenly, the dragon stepped forward, startling everyone. But instead of attacking Astrid, it held its face to her hand. Astrid let out a breath she didn't know she was holding hostage, and smiled in relief. She did it. She touched her first dragon. She was making peace with one.

She slowly raised her other hand to pet the Deadly Nadder, hoping to build the trust.

"Okay, can you do us a favor?" the blonde asked. The dragon didn't move or do anything bad, so Astrid assumed that was a yes.

Turning to Snotlout, who was gulping nervously, she held one of her hands out. "Give me the bag," she murmured gently, hoping to not startle the creature.

Snotlout whimpered pathetically, before slowly ambling over to Astrid. He quickly handed her the satchel, and then ducked back to the others.

In the satchel was all the black Night Fury scales they had found in the forest, to help the Deadly Nadder locate Hiccup. Alongside that, there was a note they had all contributed to.

The shield maiden slowly raised the strap of the satchel over the dragon's head. The dragon was taller than her, but kneeled down to help her out. Astrid laughed happily, stunned at what had happened in the timespan of five minutes.

The blonde carefully slung the satchel over the Deadly Nadder's neck, and tightened it slightly. That way the dragon could easily take a whiff of the scales, and then continue tracking Hiccup and the Night Fury. Plus, the scales were less likely to spill out, along with the note.

"Okay," Astrid sighed, stepping back from the blue and yellow colored dragon. "We need you to find someone. A Night Fury," she tried explaining. The dragon cocked her head to the side, before comprehending the words "Find" and "Night Fury." She knew what the humans called that specific breed of dragon, and understood her mission.

The Deadly Nadder nodded, surprising everyone in the arena. It was as if she could understand Astrid! But what they didn't know, is that she partly could.

"Good," she smiled. "We'll give you a few fish, and you can be off. Okay?" The dragon chirped.

Astrid turned to Tuffnut and Ruffnut, who were holding a few fish. They figured the dragon could use the energy.

As soon as the twins placed the fish on the ground, the dragon gobbled them all up. She must have been starving! Astrid couldn't help but feel guilty and sad at the realization.

She finished quickly, licking her lips after her quick meal. Then, she turned to the exit of the arena. The others noticed this, and Fishlegs went to go check for any watchers.

"Coast is clear!" he called.

Astrid sighed, turning to face the intelligent dragon. "Alright. Good luck, girl," she murmured, patting the dragon's snout once more. Then, she surged away, flying off into the sky. Now they could only hope the Deadly Nadder would be able to locate Hiccup.

They all stepped out of the arena, sighing sadly. "Hiccup was right," Astrid muttered, catching everyone's attention. "We were wrong about dragons."

XXX

"::Vopraan vok!::" a strange language rang out.

Suddenly, another voice stepped in. This time, it was more human. It sounded exhausted and drowsy, but nonetheless replied in the same weird language.

"::Zu'u los vok, Zu'u los vok! **::"**

"::Do tiid!::" the first voice growled.

A shadowy figure emerged from a house, entering the outside world. It was dark outside, very dark. The stars barely provided any light, and the moon was not very full. It was difficult to see.

Another silhouette stepped out from the same house, this time much different. It was shaped like a human, with a strong figure. It was male, definitely. He wasn't as muscular as some of the nearby Vikings, but he definitely had that "lean but mean" look going on. If it were lighter, you would be able to make out vivid, forest-green eyes and a mop of auburn-colored hair.

The first figure was solid black. It blended into the night pleasingly well. It had bat-like wings, with florescent, emerald-green eyes that stood out from the blackness of night. It was a dragon, but not your average dragon. It was one of the rarest kinds of all: a Night Fury.

"::Fos los nii? Druv drey hi vopraan zey vok?::" the male human asked in a foreign language.

The dragon snorted before he replied. "::Zu'u los bek hi vust bo vogaan omaar vothni hin brii laag. Zu'u hon zurun dovah honaat.::"

The adult male frowned in wonder at the dragon's explanation. "::Fos eylok do dovah honaat?::" he asked.

"::Dilos Nadder dovah honaat.::" the Night Fury answered. "::Gir! Listen!::"

The muscular human paused, straining his ears to try and hear what his companion was talking about. The male narrowed his eyes, before turning to face the black dragon.

"::Zu'u hon nii. Dilos Nadder, hi saag?::" the auburn-haired man asked.

"::Geh,::" the Night Fury confirmed.

Suddenly, a roar of a dragon could be heard. They both perked up, trying to distinguish the noise. It was definitely what the dark dragon said it was: a Deadly Nadder.

Sure enough, a new dragon landed on the scene. From what the man and Night Fury could make out, it was a blue and yellow scaled Deadly Nadder. The one-legged man stepped forward, reaching out a hand to touch the dragon.

She instantly obeyed, seeing as the Night Fury was perfectly comfortable hanging around the man. Once she pulled away from his calloused hand, she stretched out her wings, and kneeled down to the unrecognizable man's level.

The male reached forward, noticing a strange object wrapped around her neck. He frowned, narrowing his eyes curiously. He carefully slipped the strap off of her neck, and was surprised to see it was a satchel. Full of what? Black scales. Night Fury scales, that is.

Was somebody trying to track them down? Who was it?

The man's frown deepened, as he showed the bag to his dragon companion. The Night Fury instantly recognized his own scales, and turned to the Deadly Nadder.

"::Vir drey hi ofaal daar? Wo los hi?::" he asked.

"::Viking kon gave niin wah zey. Rek fun zey wah far hi tum naal hin vrii. Zu'u korah nust vahlut motmah do deykraan voth zurun markings nau nii.::" the female dragon answered.

The dragon frowned, turning back to his rider. Said man was digging around in the satchel, after hearing the Deadly Nadder say there was a slip of paper in the bag. He dug around, until finally, his hand came in contact with a smooth surface. He carefully pulled the paper out of the satchel, before opening the folded paper.

 _"Hello, Hiccup. We really hope this letter reaches you. We used this Deadly Nadder to track you down by your Night Fury's scales. We found them in the forest, off of Raven's Point._

 _Please reply to us as soon as you reach the end of this note. We NEED you._

 _Stoick is very, very sick. The only person left as Heir is Snotlout. We need you, Hiccup. We know the truth now. Gothi had a vision, and we found your note from eight years ago. We're all very sorry for how we treated you. We know we drove you away, and we're sorry._

 _Please come back. If you don't, I swear I will find you myself and personally punch you senseless. Please, Hiccup, come back. Even if you don't want to, do it for the dragons. We found the truth about them because of YOU. Return here, and teach us about dragons! We can stop the war with Vikings and dragons. But Stoick needs you the most. Please._

 _\- Astrid, Fishlegs, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Gobber, Gothi, and a very reluctant Snotlout."_

The man narrowed his eyes, looking torn. He looked both angry and sad. But as he glanced over to Toothless, who could understand the Norse writing, the Night Fury gave him a tiny nod.

"Fine," Hiccup sighed in Norse. "Looks like we're heading back."

XXX

A week passed. Nothing happened. Stoick got slightly worse, and the group was worrying. Would the Deadly Nadder even find Hiccup? Would he even return? Or would he just throw away their letter?

Astrid was growing very impatient and anxious. What if Stoick died? Would Snotlout really become chief? She couldn't bear the thought. Would he have the power to force her into marriage? Her parents most likely would agree, seeing as he was next in line as the leader of the Hairy Hooligan tribe.

Week two came along. They kept it a secret from everyone. Fishlegs, however, was having some difficulty. He was so tempted to just spill it all out. He was never good with lying, or keeping secrets. Luckily, Ruffnut was there most of the time to stop him from spilling the beans.

On the first day of week three, Stoick had a hallucination. He said he saw Hiccup standing in the corner of the Healer's room, his same fifteen-year-old self. But then, he saw blood spilling down his son's body, and the scales of a Night Fury getting stuck in the sticky, crimson liquid.

He had screamed as loudly as he could, and nearly the whole village heard. Gothi had hobbled in as quickly as she could, hoping to calm the man down. Eventually, she simply told him to drink a mysterious liquid, which put him to sleep.

When the gang burst into the room, Gothi just shook her head and translated it into the dirt outside of the Healer's building.

They had all been shocked and sorrowful to hear Stoick was starting to hallucinate. And about Hiccup, especially. Fishlegs had nearly burst into the room to tell the truth about the last three weeks, but Gobber and Astrid had managed to stop him from reaching Stoick.

Halfway through week three, and a few days after his hallucination, Stoick passed out for several hours. Gothi had no way of waking him, since he was just knocked out completely. By the time he awoke, it was after almost sixteen hours.

Stoick only hallucinated one more time at the end of week three. It was of Hiccup, again. He had been sleeping, and just awoke. Then, his eyes played tricks on him and made him think he saw Hiccup lying beside his bed, covered in his own blood. He had, once again, screamed. Gothi did not give him the drink to put him to sleep, since he had already slept for so long. Instead, she managed to comfort him. Gobber had entered the room, and helped console the ill Chief.

On the first day of week four, Stoick felt absolutely terrible. His head was pounding, he was sweating from a nightmare, and his ears were ringing. Every time someone talked, whether it be a whisper or scream, his head just ached even more. He would have slept it off, but he was too frightened of his nightmares at the time.

And then, something amazing happened.

XXX

Astrid was talking with the gang, minus Gothi and Snotlout. The elder was busy taking care of Stoick, while they avoided adding Snotlout because of his attitude. But nonetheless, they were discussing an obvious topic. They were wondering about Hiccup.

"Do you think the Nadder found him?" Fishlegs asked.

"Maybe," Astrid shrugged, a hint of doubt in her voice. "I'm sorry, guys," she suddenly sighed. "I just… got so hopeful. We need him here."

"Yeah," the twins agreed in sync.

"I sure do miss the lad," Gobber murmured. "He was a great apprentice. Could craft anything he thought of!"

They just nodded sadly, while a few of them were struggling to hold back tears.

"I just wish—"

Astrid was cut off by a loud horn being blown. Everyone immediately jumped up, startled expressions on their faces. They hadn't heard that noise in five years, since the raids stopped. Could it be? "Is that the…?" Astrid began, but trailed off.

"The dragon horn? Yes," Gobber whispered.

They exchanged glances, before racing off. Astrid took the lead, to where people were already gathering at the north shore. Gobber fell behind, due to his one-legged issue.

Several villagers were panicking at the sight of four dragons approaching Berk. They seemed to be in a neat order, in a diamond-shaped formation.

Many people were gathering up their livestock, and hiding them in barns. Others were gathering weapons, while the gang just crossed their fingers and prayed hopefully.

 _'Please,'_ Astrid begged to the Gods. _'Please, let it be Hiccup.'_

XXX

Stoick's eyes snapped open at the sound of the dragon horn being blown. He gasped, quickly sitting up. He groaned as he sat up too quickly, causing his vision to darken for a few moments and his head to spin. Finally, though, it faded, and he got to his feet. He hadn't been out of the bed in weeks, unless it was to use the bathroom.

The Chief grunted from effort, leaning against certain pieces of furniture as he tried to make his way down to where everyone was gathering. He heard Gothi tapping her staff against the ground, trying to catch his attention. He ignored her, though. He needed to protect his tribe.

As he made his way down the stairs, he felt lightheaded. He felt as though he was going to vomit, and pass out, both at the same time. And yet he continued on, determined to protect and defend his home.

 _'If it's that damn Night Fury, I WILL avenge my son!'_ he thought angrily.

Numerous people gasped at the sight of their weak and ill Chief hobbling towards the scene. His best companion, Gobber, came to help him. He grabbed Stoick's left arm, and tossed it over his shoulders. He then guided the large Viking man towards the area where the dragons were heading.

Stoick watched in disbelief as he spotted four dragons approaching Berk. They were formed in a diamond formation, which was very strange. Dragons didn't do that, right? So why were they doing it now?

"Eh, Stoick?" Gobber asked.

"Yes?"

"I think… there's something on their backs."

Stoick narrowed his eyes furiously, and sure enough, spotted two figures on two of the dragons. The other two dragons didn't have riders, but were still participating in the formation.

"Ready your weapons!" Stoick ordered, but started coughing afterwards. It hurt his voice to yell.

Several people tightened their grip on their weapons, waiting anxiously for the dragons to land.

And they did. The four dragons met the ground neatly, but a few yards from the Vikings surrounding them.

Stoick made his way to the front of the crowd, growling angrily. "What is the meaning of this?!" he snarled.

The four dragons were an odd mix. Three of them were Deadly Nadders, and one was a Skrill. The Deadly Nadder with a rider was a girl, who had midnight-black hair and icy-blue eyes. She wore thick armor and rode her dragon with a leather saddle.

The second Deadly Nadder was nearly the same shade as the first; a lavender color. This one, however, was a bit darker. He had no rider.

The Skrill was mainly black, but had interesting red outlines on certain parts of its body. On its shoulders rested a young man, who look curious, but untrusting of the Vikings around them.

The last was another Deadly Nadder, with no rider. It was the one Astrid and the crew sent to Hiccup. It was a blue and yellow scaled dragon, with a satchel tied around its neck.

"W-What…?" Stoick stuttered.

"Hello!" the black-haired girl greeted cheerily.

"SORCERY!" many of the tribe members shouted. A couple launched their weapons at the dragons, but they managed to dodge easily.

"Oh, great," the girl muttered sarcastically. "Now they're throwing things at us."

"What is the meaning of this?! Why are you on those beasts' backs?!" Stoick exclaimed.

The Skrill growled loudly, while the other three dragons bristled angrily.

"Well it sure as Hel beats sailing across the ocean for months on end," the girl snickered.

The Skrill snarled viciously as one of the Vikings stepped closer to him and his rider. The man on the Skrill patted his shoulder, instantly calming the dragon.

"Shh," he whispered to his dragon.

"What are you doing here?!" Stoick demanded.

"We're here to help," the girl answered.

"With what?" the chief growled.

"You and your tribe," the man responded.

"You don't know anything about—"

"You are Stoick the Vast," the girl interrupted. The villagers froze, wondering how she could answer him so easily. What did they know about Berk? "You lost your wife in a dragon raid, and then your son."

She then turned to a familiar group of young adults. "You're Fishlegs, very knowledgeable," she continued, pointing to the very large man. "You're Ruffnut, twin sister to Tuffnut. Both of you are idiots, according to Zoriik." She gestured to the two identical siblings, while the Berkians watched with shocked expressions.

"You are Snotlout," the man continued for the girl. "A bad heir to the Hairy Hooligan tribe. And you are Gobber, the blacksmith. You used to mentor Stoick's son."

"H-How… what?" Stoick stuttered. "How do you know all this?! Are you spies?!"

The crowd roared along with their leader, weapons raising in the air.

"You are Gothi, the healer and elder," the man on the Skrill continued, ignoring the uproar in the crowd.

And then, they both turned to Astrid. "Aw," the girl cooed. "She's even prettier than he said she was!"

"What are you—"

An abrupt, high-pitched shrieking noise rang out, startling everyone nearby the island. Anyone could recognize that sound.

" _NIGHT FURY!_ " the villagers screamed. "Get down!"

But the gang didn't cover themselves. Instead, their eyes widened drastically as they waited with hopeful expressions. Astrid dropped her ax, and held her hands to her mouth. The twins exchanged glances, while Fishlegs gasped loudly. Gothi smiled knowingly, and Gobber stood with his mouth hanging open.

No one could see the black dragon anywhere. That is, until it landed right in front of them.

The sound of a thud echoed, as a mysterious beast dived and landed right in front of the villagers. The sand the pair landed on sprayed out, flying into a few peoples' eyes.

Astrid held her breath, praying to Odin it was him. It had to be him. Please, she needed him.

"What are you doing?" the man on the Skrill asked as the dust cleared.

"Making a dramatic entrance, what else?" a masked and heavily armored man replied. "As for you, Ember," he spoke to the girl on her lavender-colored Nadder. "Stop embarrassing me!"

Astrid recognized the voice. Sure, it was deeper and had changed slightly, but it was definitely his. The body, however, looked completely different.

Hiccup still wasn't as big as a Viking, but he was definitely muscular. The armor he wore was leathery and a thick brown material, while he wore a helmet to conceal his face.

But what stunned Astrid the most was his shin. It was missing, and replaced with a metal prosthetic.

He stepped off of his Night Fury, landing directly in the sand. He turned to everyone watching them, and smiled behind his mask.

"I-Is that was I think it is?" a villager asked shakily, gesturing to the Night Fury.

"There's no way that's Hiccup!" Snotlout suddenly exclaimed. "He was a twig!"

What did Hiccup have to do with this? Unless….

"H-Hiccup?" Stoick asked in a weak voice.

"Yeah," the man murmured, voice muffled by his helmet. "It's me."

He slowly lifted his hands to his helmet, while his anxiety skyrocketed. Should he do it? Should he expose himself? What if his father disowned him? Or executed him and Toothless?

But his decision was made. He lifted his arms to his helmet, and slipped it off, letting his whole head be revealed.

Astrid gasped, along with all the other bystanders.

There he was, after eight long years. His auburn hair was fluffier than before, but shorter. His forest-green eyes were even more vivid, and more beautiful. His skin had tanned a bit, and he was definitely taller and more muscular. He had to have stood at least half a head taller than Astrid. Part of his shin on one of his legs was missing, and a prosthetic made up for its place.

"H-How… what…." Stoick was at a loss for words.

"I'm sorry, Dad," Hiccup sighed. "I couldn't let anyone find out about Toothless. Not only would I be a traitor, but you would hurt him."

"Toothless?" they questioned.

"Oh, right," he laughed awkwardly.

He turned to face the Night Fury, patting his head lovingly. "Guys, meet Toothless." Hiccup glanced around, his gaze traveling across all of the gathered Vikings. "Toothless… meet Berk, my old home."

XXX

HA! HOW WAS THAT?

 **Ok, I have an important question**. When would you guys like to see Hiccup's POV of what happened in the last eight years? Chapter Four (the next one), Chapter Five, or Chapter Six? Please let me know!

OH, and here are the review replies:

 **DarkForest11:** Thank you! C:

 **Kenraali:** That means a lot to me. Thanks! I know this chapter was pretty stereotypical, but Hiccup's POV should help it be a little more unique.

 **IceFireHeartandSoul:** This! This! This! This! Th—I'm not repeating that twenty times. LOL. Thanks for reviewing!

 **Silver Wind 02:** FFFFFFFFFF—why are you so nice?! Btw, look at the very beginning of this chapter (;

 **Guest:** Here it is! :D Thanks.

 **MMM:** I was actually considering Valka being in the story, but… I wasn't too sure. So far, she won't be, until later. Anyways, thanks! And the letter idea was cool, but I already wrote this, and… uh… yeah XD Thanks, though!

 **ShadowSpirit020:** Thank you! This is mainly Berk's POV, but when should Hiccup's POV come in? Next chapter, chapter after that…?

 **EmpressRulerofallthatiswierd:** Haha, thanks! I love your name btw XD

 **the boltguard:** Alright, there's a little bit of Hiccup POV in here. Everything about his POV will be explained in the next one.

 **supersandman86:** I didn't think about it that way… here's Berk's POV, but with a little Hiccup POV that doesn't give away much. I do, however, have nearly all of the Hiccup POV finished. When should it come in?

 **sadicofan:** Yup, thanks! Here ya go c:

 **Guest:** This one is manly Berk's POV. (: Thanks for the feedback!

 **Transformers 0:** oooh, true. I like how you said that. C: But some of the readers might get confused for the little Hiccup POV I put in here. When should Hiccup's POV come in?

 **If you are confused about Hiccup's POV in this chapter, read this!**

I know lots of HTTYD run away stories include Dragonese, or the dragon language. However, I did a bit of googling, and decided to use a language called Dovahzul. It is from Skyrim, and I have a translator for it XD Anyways, once Hiccup's next POV comes in, translations will be listed right after they speak in Dovahzul.

Thanks everyone! See ya in Chapter Four!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** WOW is all I can say. You guys are too sweet C: Thanks a lot for all the support. Here's Chapter Four. Oh, and lots of you said to leave Hiccup's POV to later, so I will. Just review and tell me when you want it to come in.

Again, thanks!

XXX

Time of Dying — Chapter Four

Hiccup has run away from Berk. He's been gone for eight years, with barely any signs proving he is alive. But when Stoick grows extremely ill, the only person left to the position of Chief is Snotlout. The tribe is going into chaos, and they only have one person to turn to: Hiccup. They must contact him as soon as possible, and convince him to return to Berk. But he's not the same little boy he was before….

XXX

Stoick felt like passing out. He was growing dizzy, and his eyes were wide enough to hurt. His mouth hung open, along with all the other villagers'. All the man could focus on was his long lost son. There he was, after eight years, all grown up. He was definitely not his fifteen-year-old self anymore. He was tall, and had muscle. He was not beefy like a Viking, but he definitely came off as strong.

Astrid's eyes were wide as well, and she had both her hands clasped over her mouth, which was hanging open. She could feel happy tears start to build up in her icy-blue eyes, while she examined Hiccup intently. He had grown. A lot.

The rest of the young adults were gaping at the returning boy—no, he was a man now. A twenty-three year old man. Gobber felt a rush of relief at the sight of his old apprentice. He looked built now, and maybe he could replace Snotlout as heir to the Hairy Hooligan tribe?

Toothless growled as an ax was thrown at Hiccup. The Night Fury instantly leaped in front of his rider, shielding the man with his bat-like wings.

Hiccup stepped out from the dragon's wings, smiling thankfully at his companion. Turning back to the crowd, he was surprised to see a familiar face.

It was a very elderly man who had thrown the ax. None other than Mildew, a grumpy man who had always been rude and bothersome to the Berkians.

"Good Gods, you're still alive?" Hiccup asked with a hearty laugh. Toothless lifted his head, letting out a vibrating noise. It almost sounded like a laugh, but surely that wasn't possible? Dragons couldn't understand humans!

"So, where is Stoick?" Hiccup queried, gaze wandering across the crowd. "I was told he was gravely ill. We're here to help."

Stoick slowly stumbled forward, hands empty. He had no weapons in hand, which seemed to relax the tense dragons. The pale, sickly-looking man stepped one step closer, before he stumbled. He nearly fell, but managed to regain his balance.

"H-Hiccup?" he asked hopefully. "Y-You're… alive."

Hiccup smiled sadly at the sight of the ill man. He was definitely weak and vulnerable. He was deathly pale, much skinnier than the last time he saw him, and his ginger hair was wild and untamed.

"Yes," he chuckled. "I'm here. It's me."

Stoick laughed with a cracked voice. He laughed softly, but coughed once afterwards. He was so happy. So relieved, just to see his son once more. But he knew why he was here. Hiccup had only come because of how sick he was. He didn't come back because he wanted to. He came back because he felt he was guilt tripped into coming.

Nonetheless, he ambled forward once more. "Son," he croaked. "Y-You're here. Oh my Gods."

"Dad, it's all right," Hiccup murmured reassuringly. He met his father halfway, placing both armored hands on his shoulders. The smaller man was actually just a few inches shorter.

"Oh, Hiccup," Stoick sobbed.

"Shhh, shhh," Hiccup shushed him, as the Viking pulled him into a tight hug. He returned the embrace, patting the weak man's back comfortingly.

Once Stoick pulled back, he examined his lost son's face. He had a strong jawline, with darker, fluffier, and shorter hair that framed his face, and larger, forest-green eyes. His freckles had faded, and his skin wasn't as pale. He was taller, stronger, and tougher. He was a man now.

"My son," Stoick exclaimed. "My son has come home! To the Mead Hall!"

"Um, actually, Dad—"

"No, Zoriik," Ember, the black-haired girl, interrupted. "It's alright, we'll start our work tomorrow."

Hiccup smiled gratefully at the young woman, then turned back to his old tribe mates. There were several new faces, along with new little ones.

"Zoriik?" Stoick asked.

"Yeah," Hiccup shrugged. "It means rider in Dovahzul."

"…What's Dovahzul?"

The three newcomers laughed with gleesome faces, exchanging glances. Hiccup shrugged once their laughter ceased, turning back to his father.

"Eh, it's a long story," he chuckled.

"Well, you can tell us all your stories in the Mead Hall," Gobber spoke up, hobbling over to stand beside Stoick.

"Ah, Gobber!" Hiccup greeted. "How've you been?"

"Good. What 'bout you, lad? You seem to have been lots of places," the blacksmith responded.

"I've… never been better," Hiccup smiled sincerely. Leaning into the blond man's ear, he whispered, "Tell the gang I said thanks for sending me the letter."

"Why can't ya tell them yourself?" Gobber asked quietly.

Hiccup grimaced, eyes narrowing and lips thinning. "I don't feel like talking to them," he muttered darkly.

Suddenly, he backed away from his old mentor, and turned to face the crowd. "To the Mead Hall!" he cheered.

"To the Mead Hall!" Gobber and Stoick laughed.

As they led the way to the building, the Berkians were uneasy with the five dragons following after them. Toothless walked beside Hiccup, while two of the Nadders without riders walked alongside each other. The Skrill stayed with his rider, snarling at anyone who got too close. The last Deadly Nadder ambled beside Ember, her rider, closely.

Stoick abruptly gasped loudly. The crowd heard as well, and followed his gaze. Soon enough, they gasped as well.

"What?" Hiccup asked, noticing their loud, surprised noises.

"Y-Your… leg!" Stoick cried.

Hiccup frowned, glancing down to see them staring at his prosthetic. He shrugged, turning his head to eye his father.

"Don't worry about it. It doesn't hurt… anymore," he shrugged, but went quiet at the last part.

"Well, of course we're worried about it!" Gobber exclaimed.

"I'll explain everything in the Mead Hall."

"Zoriik, don't you DARE use the modest version!" the male rider growled.

Hiccup rolled his eyes, before he replied, "I'm just using the honest version, Asger."

The Skrill rider named Asger snorted, before turning back to pet his dragon.

XXX

Once they reached the Mead Hall, everyone immediately ran off to fetch some mead for the newcomers. Hiccup was heading to a table in the corner, when he was abruptly yanked back by Ember.

"Oh no you don't!" she growled jokingly. "You, are going to sit at the center of this building, and tell them everything that has happened!"

"Dammit!" Hiccup cursed loudly. He laughed humorously at her glare, before holding his hands up, showing his mock surrender. "Fine, fine."

Hiccup sighed exasperatedly, before taking a seat at a large table in the center of the large building. Everyone immediately crowded around him, asking several questions.

"Settle down!" Hiccup called. He sighed loudly, before he asked, "What do you want to know first?"

At that, the crowd roared loudly, some saying things about why he left, why he had a dragon, how he met Toothless, and how he lost his leg.

"Ok, ok!" Hiccup shouted, getting them to go quiet. "I'll start with Toothless."

"Well, it started in a dragon raid. I, for once, accomplished something. I shot him down, but no one believed me." The Vikings looked down in shame at that. "Me being me, I went to search for him. And when I saw his eyes, I saw fear. I saw myself. So I cut him loose."

A few people shouted in protest, making Hiccup roll his eyes. Others just nervously glanced over to Stoick and a few other tough, popular Vikings, to see their reactions. Stoick looked grim, Gobber didn't look surprised at all, and Spitelout had his lip curled back into a snarl.

Hiccup sighed, before gaining their attention back by having Toothless roar loudly. Everyone froze, immediately going silent.

"Thank you," he muttered sarcastically. "Anyways… After I cut him loose, all he did was pin me to a boulder and roar in my ear, which HURT by the way!" He emphasized the end, earning a smack on the head from Toothless' tail.

( **A/N:** You guys wanted translations for the Dovahzul language, so here it is. By the way, the reason I didn't post the ones from the last chapter was because I wanted to add mystery x3)

"::Saag hi! Zu'u sizaan malur do dii slov!::" (Translation: Says you! I lost part of my tail!) Toothless growled in a foreign language.

To everyone else, it just sounded like growls and rumbles. Everyone gulped, not liking the way the Night Fury sounded when he "spoke." And wait—could he understand the man somehow?

Hiccup would have replied in the same language, but people were watching. He didn't want to give away such information just yet.

So instead, he didn't directly reply to Toothless in Dovahzul. He simply patted his shoulder shamefully, his face showing how sorry he was about his companion losing his tailfin.

Toothless nodded approvingly, before resting his head on Hiccup's lap. The man stared down at his dragon lovingly, while scratching his head soothingly.

The Vikings watched with interest, wondering how such a fishbone had managed to tame the offspring of lightning and death. But… he wasn't much of a fishbone anymore.

"Continuing on, I went to visit Toothless in a cove he got trapped in. He—"

Hiccup paused, wondering if he should tell the truth about his tailfin. What if they took advantage of that, and hurt Toothless?

So instead, he lied. He said, "—He sprained his wing. It's all fixed now, but for a while it hurt him too much to fly. So I managed to get him healed, and then… er, we…."

The man trailed off, nervously scratching on the back of his neck. It was a habit he had formed a couple years ago, when he got anxious or nervous. Now was a perfect example.

"We ran away," he finally continued.

Hiccup glanced up at the Vikings gathered around him, surprised to see some of them sorrowful and ashamed. Stoick looked extremely depressed at the realization. His son wasn't murdered by a Night Fury. He ran away on one.

"How'd you manage to tame it?" someone from the crowd asked.

"Toothless is a _HIM_. Not an _it_ ," Hiccup growled. "Nearly all dragons are not meant for trouble. They are only defending themselves when they hurt people."

" _Lies!_ " Spitelout snarled. "They've killed hundreds of our kind!"

"And you've killed thousands of them!" Hiccup snapped back, one fist hitting the table loudly. Toothless' head snapped up, noticing his rider's anger and the tension in between the two men.

( **A/N:** GUYS I JUST REALIZED SOMETHING. In the second chapter, I said how there was no one for chief except Snotlout because Spitelout died of a heart attack, right? I'm sorry for any confusion! I'm going to go change that once I finish up this chapter. Spitelout is alive. Ok, continue!)

"Why are you defending those beasts?" Spitelout spat. "One took your own mother. Do you not remember? Or do you simply not give a shit?"

Stoick narrowed his eyes, figuring it was his turn to speak up. He hated the way his brother insulted his son, but using his mother as an excuse. "Spitelout, don't you—"

But Hiccup interrupted him. His voice was not bitter. No, it was heated and strong. Angry, not cold. "Shut up, Spitelout," Hiccup snarled venomously. "I gave more shits about my mother than you ever did about anyone in this village. I'm defending dragons because you are all wrong about them. They only raided you because they had to."

To say everyone's shocked would be an understatement. They had never seen this side of Hiccup before. Angry, defending of himself, and confident. He was actually standing up for himself, against one of the most intimidating Vikings in the Hairy Hooligan tribe. The Hiccup they remembered was quiet, clumsy, and too fearful to speak up. He was never one to defend himself, let alone Spitelout.

"How would you know?" Spitelout demanded, growing humiliated and angrier than ever. How dare this coward come along and embarrass him?! And how dare he defend those beasts?! Those monsters had slayed hundreds of Vikings, just for food, and for fun. Why would this… hiccup know any better than him?

"How do you think I lost part of my leg?" Hiccup snapped back, earning multiple gasps and jaws hitting the floor. "I found their nest, and they had a queen controlling them. I fought for all of you, and all of the nearby tribes, and lost part of a limb."

"Oh, please," Spitelout scoffed. "You probably got stuck in a bear trap instead, and then had to have someone amputate it like the coward you are. How big was this queen, hmm? Must have been small if you could best it in a fight."

Hiccup suddenly bolted upright in his chair, getting to his feet faster than lightning. Toothless stood as well, growling and revealing sharp teeth to Hiccup's uncle. Many people subconsciously took a few steps back, while Spitelout actually stood his ground.

"Small? Try the size of a mountain," the armored rider replied bitterly. "Now I suggest you shut your mouth before A, I beat you in a fight. B, my dad murders you. Or C, Toothless has a nice snack."

There was a tense silence for a minute or two. It was so quiet, you could hear a pin hit the floor. The tension was thick, as if it could be cut through by a knife.

Finally, Spitelout glanced over to his son, Snotlout. The younger man nodded knowingly, before he spoke up to defend his father.

"Fine," Snotlout piped up. "I challenge you to a fight. Tomorrow morning, in the arena."

"No."

Everyone was taken aback by the strong, cold answer. One word was all it took to have the father and son build back up with anger.

"Why? Too much of a coward to fight without words and with weapons?" Snotlout sneered.

Ember snorted from beside her Deadly Nadder, rolling her eyes. "You're talking to the guy who—"

"Ember, they don't need to know that," Hiccup interrupted, but his eyes never left Snotlout's.

"Fine. I accept your challenge," Hiccup replied with a hint of mischief. "However, if I win, you can deal with the humiliation. You must also back off of Astrid Hofferson, who has absolutely no interest in you."

The crowd went into a stunned quietness, too shocked to speak. From the crowd, Astrid's eyes went wider than ever, and she took a sharp intake of oxygen. Why was Hiccup defending her?

"Ok… if I win, you leave Berk and don't come back. And take your pesky dragons with you," Snotlout responded coldly.

"Deal. Until then, I'm continuing my stories of adventure," Hiccup smirked, sitting back down into his chair.

Stoick gasped, standing weakly from his seat, which was a few chairs down from Hiccup. "But… son! I just got you back," he murmured softly.

"Don't worry," Hiccup assured. He redirected his gaze to Snotlout and Spitelout, with them both looking livid. "I'm not going anywhere."

The two black-haired males stormed out of the Mead Hall, most likely to head back to their house. Meanwhile, Hiccup was congratulated by Ember and Asger.

"Ha!" Asger snickered. "He won't know what hit him. Good for you, Zoriik."

"I can't wait to see him have his ass whooped," Ember joined in, patting the man on his armored shoulder.

Hiccup snorted, absentmindedly rubbing Toothless' head.

"Hiccup, please win," Stoick whispered to his only child.

Hiccup smiled genuinely. He felt wanted. He felt needed. It was an amazing feeling.

"I will," he promised.

Suddenly, he raised a hand a shouted, "Now where's that mead?!"

Everyone broke out into laughter, before a few went off to fetch the drinks.

XXX

After sharing some more stories, and exchanging greetings and welcome back's with a few of the villagers, Hiccup was exhausted. His eyelids were growing heavy, and he kept parting his jaws into a large yawn.

"Alright," he finally sighed. "I'm exhausted."

Several disappointed noises rang out, making Hiccup feel even better. It was as if he was NEEDED here. WANTED here.

"Yeah, yeah," Ember chuckled. "Let the man get some rest. We'll see you all in the morning."

"Dad!" Hiccup called, making Stoick smile. He missed hearing that. "Where can we sleep?"

"You're free to sleep in the old house. I'm stuck in the Healer's building," the ginger-haired man replied sadly.

Hiccup patted his shoulder comfortingly, before nodding thankfully. "Thanks. Tell Gothi I said to take good care of you."

Stoick chuckled happily. "I will. Goodnight, son."

"'Night, dad."

XXX

As Hiccup was ambling back towards his old home with all his friends, he heard someone call his name urgently.

He frowned, whirling around to see a certain blonde racing towards him. He was stunned to see how much she had grown. She was taller, curvier, and overall gorgeous. He just wished her personality was just as beautiful.

The others halted to see who it was, and if Hiccup wanted to chat with her. The auburn-haired man turned to his companions, nodding. "You guys go on ahead. I'll meet you at the house. It's the big house on the hill up there," he pointed, explaining quickly so he could just get over his talk with Astrid. "There's two extra bedrooms, excluding mine. Feel free to go ahead and settle in."

"Alright. See ya there," Ember murmured, turning and with the others following her.

Hiccup noticed one lagging behind, looking at him expectantly. Sighing, he continued, "You too, Toothless. I'll be there in a few minutes."

The Night Fury grumbled, before reluctantly following after the others.

Hiccup rolled his eyes, before turning back to face none other than Astrid Hofferson. She was staring at him curiously, with a distant look in her eyes.

"What'd you want?" he asked.

"Hiccup… I'm sorry. For everything. We treated you so badly, and…." She trailed off, not sure how to continue.

"No," Hiccup murmured. "I'm not forgiving you or the others just yet. You see, you're at a loss for words, aren't you? Get back to me when you have a real apology."

Astrid inhaled shakily, before nodding sadly. "Ok… sorry. But wait—you forgave Stoick," she protested.

Hiccup narrowed his eyes slightly, choosing his words carefully. "The man's dying. The least I could do is make him happy," he whispered to her in a steely voice. "He's changed, too. He's accepting dragons now, and he is actually happy to see me. Snotlout just made things a whole lot worse. So if you want my forgiveness, get back to me with a REAL apology. Not one just made up on the spot, with pauses in between because you can't think of the words."

Astrid looked crushed, which sent a pang of guilt through Hiccup. He faltered slightly, but held his ground.

He hated how he felt about her. After all these years, he STILL loved her. She was more beautiful than ever, she showed signs of caring about him, and she had changed her perspective on dragons because of HIM. But he needed to know she meant the apology. Not one that was false. He couldn't bear being hurt that badly again.

"I'll… see you later, Astrid," he murmured gently, turning slowly and then ambling away.

XXX

Angry words were spat out by a father, who barely qualified as a man's guardian. Sure, he raised the boy, he taught him to fight, fed him, and kept him safe. But that didn't matter anymore. All he seemed to do now was hurt his own child, and force him into doing things he didn't want to.

The son never fought back. He used to, but then he gave up. His father never listened anymore. The older man was in charge, despite how many times his son had attempted to stand up for himself. He was punished with insults and yells, which tore at his heart. His father rarely abused him physically, and when he did, it was just a slap. But it hurt him. It hurt him A LOT.

His son always tried. He tried and tried, to be the best out there. But it was no use. He made a mistake or two, and he was hurt once more by his father with verbal abuse. He was glad it rarely ever went further than that, but it still hurt intensely.

"You idiot!" the older man snarled at his child. "You BETTER listen this time, boy!"

"I-I'm sorry!" the younger man cried pitifully. "I'm trying my best! I'm going to win, don't worry."

"You'd better."

Spitelout slammed the door behind him, leaving Snotlout to wonder how this could have happened to him.

XXX

 **A/N:** WOAHHHH plot twist! I just had a brainstorm, and I have a great plot in mind, if I do say so myself. I'm not going to spoil anything, but you are free to suggest what should happen in the future! I'm willing to take in you guys' suggestions.

 **IMPORTANT (PLEASE READ FOR PLOT):**

Ok, this is a short and simple question for Hiccup's plot. Should he have his own tribe? I was thinking he could find a baby in the forest, raise it, and become a father. Yes, no, maybe so…? And if he DOES have a tribe, he'll be chief. But the reason his tribe mates haven't come with him to Berk (if I give him a tribe) is because they need to stay to defend the tribe.

Thanks to anyone who answers these! :D Here's the review replies now!

 **Snoopykid:** Thank you!

 **supersandman86:** Thank you for giving me your opinion. C: I'm planning on leaving Hiccup's POV out until later, so that it'll add some mystery and stuff. Oh, and yeah, in this chapter Snotlout challenges him to a duel.

 **Silver Wind 02:** You're welcome (:

 **Branonymous:** Yup, I'm putting off his POV for now. Thanks! And this chapter is the 'how everyone reacts' chapter. The next one will include the duel between Snotlout and Hiccup, along with a VERY interesting plot twist (;

 **Kenraali:** Thanks for putting in your thoughts. I decided to leave out translations from the chapter before this, because it'd add some special effect. OH, and from now on, I'm adding the translations. In Hiccup's POV, it'll be explained how they do all this.

 **Guest:** Yes, I also felt like I was rushing it. But then I realized my plot in mind, and figured it was probably for the best. The plot I have in mind should be a little while to take place. Oh, and for character development, I'm waiting for Hiccup's POV to explain the OC's and their back stories and personalities and stuff. Thanks for the input!

 **ShadowSpirit020:** Haha, thanks. C: Most people are saying to put it off, so I am.

 **MMM:** Yup, Hiccup will tell him about the letter he got from the gang. But how should he tell them? I haven't thought of it yet. Any ideas? And no, Ember isn't his new girlfriend. It'll be Hiccstrid, but only later in the story.

 **Guest:** That makes sense. I'm waiting for his POV to come in once he settles in more, and readers are wanting it. Even after I post his POV, he won't be telling anyone what happened until later. As for flashbacks, I could add some in within the next few chapters.

 **LunnaValley23:** Thank you! :D And ok, will do.

 **httyd-lover9910:** Got it. C: Thanks!

 **emma loves it:** Thanks for reviewing! And most people are saying to wait, so I will. Until then, here's another chapter without his past POV.

 **Ken106348:** Thank you! This is the chapter where everyone reacts. As for Snotlout's thoughts, I'm bad with following his personality. Should I include a section with his POV at Hiccup's return? Or nah?

 **roughgunner:** Yeah, I'm planning a few flashbacks in the next couple chapters. Thanks! And his POV of the last eight years will be revealed in a few chapters later.

 **Sadico:** Thanks for the review! (: Yeah, I'm waiting to share his POV until later, since everyone seems to like the mysterious vibe of his past.

 **Guest:** Thank you! :D I just love runaway stories. I'm hoping this one stands out more.

 **MinRan Alfirin:** I'll PM you the answer to the questions, just cause it takes up a lot of space in this chapter XD

 **Lostberkian:** Haha, I know right! Such a surprise xD As for the tribe, that's what I just asked above. Do you think he should? I want him too, but don't want to go too far.

 **Great (Guest):** Thanks for the review! And no, he hasn't met Drago. I wasn't planning on having him either. I'm giving him a different enemy. Oh, and for the translations, they'll come in soon enough. I left them out from the last chapter to add mischief and mystery. Sorry 'bout that!

 **Midnight510:** Thanks for the info! Yeah, I believe ya. I never thought they'd be Stoker class, but I don't know what other class they'd be…? Thanks for giving me some info on them! For your next review, thanks a lot! It will be Hiccstrid, and this chapter includes all their reactions.

 **Transformers 0:** Yup, everyone seems to be agreeing with ya xD And here ya go! Next chapter.

 **THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR THE SUPPORT.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Woahhhhhh. Over 59 reviews, 125 follows, and 89 favs? Thank you guys. Like, seriously, **thank you. I love you guys!**

 **BTW** , I feel like I should make this story more fun for the readers so you guys can have fun in the reviews. What should I do? Questions you can answer, a guessing game…? What would be fun for you guys? I was thinking of listing hints of a character, and then having you all guess it in the reviews. Would you guys like that?

XXX

Time of Dying — Chapter Four Hiccup has run away from Berk. He's been gone for eight years, with barely any signs proving he is alive. But when Stoick grows extremely ill, the only person left to the position of Chief is Snotlout. The tribe is going into chaos, and they only have one person to turn to: Hiccup. They must contact him as soon as possible, and convince him to return to Berk. But he's not the same little boy he was before….

XXX

The following morning, Hiccup awoke to find himself in his old bedroom. He sighed quietly, wiping the crust out of his eyes. He glanced around, shocked to find his room looked the same, minus a few changes. There were many layers of dust, but the sketches hung on the walls were still there. He did notice, however, that there were two missing from by his desk. He could recall one being a portrait of his father, but what was the other again?

Hiccup shook his head, slowly rising from his old bed. It was actually small now, compared to how much he had grown in the last eight years. His neck ached from how he had laid down, but he didn't take much notice of it. He had work to do.

He looked around for his prosthetic, but was shocked when he couldn't find it. Where did he put it? He could distinctly remember setting it against the bedpost, but had it fallen during the night?

"Toothless?" he called to his dragon.

The Night Fury yawned loudly, getting to his paws. He had been sleeping in the corner of the room, wrapped up in a ball. Hiccup had tossed a blanket over him last night to keep him warm. The black dragon shook the blanket off, and then turned to face his rider.

"Morning, Toothless," Hiccup greeted. He yawned as well, before trying to stand from the bed. He yelped as he fell to the wooden floor, due to missing half of his lower left leg.

Toothless cooed worriedly, kneeling down to see if Hiccup was all right. Said man groaned, before getting to his hands and knees.

"I can't find my prosthetic," he explained.

"::Oo, Zu'u worax Gobber kuz nii usliik daar feyl,::" (Translation: Oh, I saw Gobber take it earlier this morning.) Toothless rumbled.

Hiccup quirked an eyebrow at him, eyes narrowing. "And you couldn't have told me this before I fell?"

"::Hi drey ni laan!::" (Translation: You did not ask!)

Hiccup grunted, rolling his eyes.

The twenty-three year old slowly got back up, using Toothless as support. He slipped on a pair of brown cargo pants, a black tunic, and grabbed his boot from the previous day. He got dressed with lots of difficulty, but at last, he did it. He hated how vulnerable he was without his prosthetic.

Lastly, he added a leather belt with a sword holster and tied the laces on his boot, and headed out.

He hopped out of his room, seeing as if he were to ride Toothless, they wouldn't fit through the doorway. So he cautiously headed downstairs, hoping not to trip or lose his balance.

Once they made it out the door, he was surprised to see multiple pairs of eyes on him. He frowned, eyebrows furrowing together. He climbed onto Toothless, who glared at the people staring. The onlookers immediately glanced away, as to not anger the Night Fury.

No one seemed to notice him missing his prosthetic. That was good. Hiccup figured Gobber would be at the forge, so they headed off that way.

The pair reached the blacksmith building, and Hiccup hopped down from Toothless. He patted Toothless' shoulder thankfully, before turning to face Gobber.

"Gobber!" Hiccup scolded, dragging out the word.

"Eh… yes?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes, before holding a hand out. "Prosthetic, please," he ordered.

The blacksmith grumbled in disappointment, before reluctantly handing over the piece of work. Hiccup muttered a thanks, and then inspected the replacement for his left shin.

"What were you doing with it?" he asked.

"I wanted to see yer handiwork," Gobber shrugged. "It looks very complex."

"So I've been told," Hiccup muttered, recalling a time when Ember asked him about it.

He slipped the prosthetic back onto his leg, with Gobber watching the whole time. Once he finished strapping it tightly to his leg, he cautiously pressed down on it. He was satisfied when it still held his weight. Hiccup was worried Gobber had messed with it.

"Who made it?" Gobber asked curiously.

"Me," Hiccup answered shortly, before turning back to Toothless.

"Alright, guess I better be getting ready for my fight with that asshhhh—I mean, uh, Snotlout," he chuckled nervously, noticing Gobber was listening to him talk with Toothless.

"Ya know, ya act like he can understan' ya," Gobber observed quietly.

Hiccup snorted, patting his dragon's head. "You don't know the half of it," he whispered. Luckily Gobber didn't hear him.

The two friends turned away from the blacksmith, and began strolling down the path to the village. The pair got several intrigued looks, but Hiccup chose to ignore them. It wasn't every day you see a boy who ran away eight years ago return with a dragon.

Hiccup knew exactly where to go. He tried his best avoid running into anyone he used to know, seeing as he wasn't in the mood to socialize. He definitely didn't want to bump into one of the old teenagers. He was waiting for a REAL apology before he forgave any of them.

The male found himself stepping up a couple stairs, and then knocking on Gothi's door. He held a hand out to Toothless, telling him to stay put. The dragon mumbled incoherently, obviously not fond of the signal.

Gothi opened the door, with a wide smile spreading across her face as she recognized who it was.

"Hello, Gothi," Hiccup greeted kindly.

"Hiccup!" she cried.

Hiccup blinked his wide eyes, curious as to how she could suddenly talk. The last time he was here, she never spoke a single word. The only way she communicated with the others was with writing out symbols in dirt with her staff. "Y-You're… talking?" he asked.

Gothi nodded. "Come, Stoick over here," she croaked, opening the door wider to let him in.

Hiccup nodded, carefully entering the building. He was surprised when he heard a loud hacking noise coming from a nearby room. He flinched at the thunderous noise, and knew who it was instantly. He just wished it wasn't his own father who was this ill.

As Hiccup strolled into Stoick's temporary room, he smiled sadly at his father. He was breaking into a sweat, he was pale, and his eyes were dull. He had a hand balled into a fist over his mouth, as if trying to keep his coughs quieter and to not spread the germs. "Hey, dad," he greeted.

"H-Hiccup!" Stoick murmured happily, clearing his throat to try and stop the coughing. "H-How are you, son?"

Hiccup had never seen the man so frail, so weak. He was losing weight, and his voice was scratchy and hoarse from the coughing. He was stuttering, too. His voice was usually so strong, and in a booming tone. Now, it was just so… delicate and fragile.

"I'm good," he replied quietly, coming over to sit beside him on his bed. "Do you need anything?"

"No, no," Stoick sighed. "I'm fine." 'Fine' he said. Hiccup could tell he was lying. The man was going to die soon, and yet he continued to lie about how he felt. It was as if Stoick wanted to be remembered as the strong man he once was.

But Hiccup didn't say that. Instead, he asked once more, "Are you sure? I could get you some food, water…?"

"Tea would be nice," the chief admitted.

"I'll get it," Gothi interrupted as Hiccup began standing up. Hiccup nodded thankfully to her, and she winked before limping out of the room.

There was a moment of silence for a while. Until it was broken by Stoick speaking.

"You're all grown up now," he whispered.

"…Yeah," Hiccup hesitated. He felt guilt gnaw at him painfully, as a reminder of all he had missed on Berk. But he had been places. He got to explore, got to LIVE. Not just survive.

"Hiccup, I'm proud to call you my son."

All these years. In the twenty-three years of his life, he had been waiting to hear those words. His mother was taken by a dragon when he was a baby, and his father had drifted away from him. Never before had he heard those words.

But he had matured. Instead of stammering and crying, Hiccup smiled broadly. He then respectfully murmured, "Thank you, dad. I'm proud to call you my father."

Stoick inhaled sharply, before grabbing onto Hiccup's hand. The younger man grinned happily, fingers lacing with his father's. He had always waited for this moment. Waited for acceptance, love, care, and NEED. He felt… WANTED.

But Hiccup just wished it wasn't in these circumstances.

"You'll make a great chief," Stoick whispered.

"C-Chief?" Hiccup stammered. "I don't think…."

"Hiccup," his father interrupted. Hiccup glanced back up, meeting a pair of forest-green eyes, nearly identical to his own. "I was wrong all these years. I always thought you were not a Viking. And you're not. But… that's only because you are more than that. I thought you needed to change, but it was me. I was blinded by other's opinions of you, and my hatred for dragons. You've brought peace to all of the tribes around us, because of your actions against the… queen, you called it."

Hiccup couldn't help it. He felt tears prick at his eyes, making him reach his free hand up to wipe them away.

"Would you like to know a secret?" Stoick whispered, sitting up to let Hiccup hear his quiet voie.

"Sure," Hiccup chuckled.

"Gobber and I… made a bet," he laughed softly. "Whoever died first, the other had to wear a dress to the funeral. I wonder how Gobber looks in pink…."

Hiccup burst into a sad laughter, throwing his head back. "No, no way," he said seriously. "Gobber would definitely look better in blue," he snickered.

The two men shared a hearty laugh, while Gothi returned with two cups of tea. She set one on the wooden nightstand beside Stoick's bed, while she handed a plate and a cup to Hiccup. He murmured a thanks, and then drank up.

But his mood was crushed as Stoick tried drinking his tea. The chief coughed a few times, and then managed to get the liquid down his throat. Hiccup sighed inaudibly, hating how vulnerable his father was at the moment. It was just terrible. Whoever was in charge of his father's life was doing a shit job at it.

"Now," Stoick finally murmured, voice slightly stronger. The tea seemed to have helped the hoarseness to his voice. "You have a fight to win."

Hiccup chuckled with a nod. "That I do. I guess I should be going, then," he sighed.

Stoick suddenly set his tea back down on the nightstand, and began sitting up.

"Uh, what're you doing?" Hiccup asked

"What's it look like? I'm going to come watch the fight." The ginger-haired man grunted with effort as he reached the edge of the bed, ignoring Hiccup's protests.

"Fine, fine!" Hiccup groaned. "Let me help you then."

He carefully guided his father up from the bed, making sure he didn't fall or slip. Next, he slung the chief's left arm over his shoulders, and began helping him keep his balance.

Gothi pointed her staff at Hiccup threateningly, making Hiccup roll his eyes. "Yeah, yeah," he muttered. "I'll keep him safe."

They left the building, with Toothless still waiting outside. Hiccup patted the Night Fury gratefully, surprised he was patient enough to wait that long on him.

"Sorry, bud," Hiccup explained. "Had to talk for a while. We're gonna head to the arena now."

Toothless warbled in response, and led the way. He knew where it was because of the scent of dragons and blood. He hated the two mixtures. Hopefully Hiccup could convince Stoick to release the dragons, and to let them live on Berk.

There was already quite a number of villagers gathered in the seats, perking up once they took notice of Toothless, and Hiccup helping Stoick. Hiccup spotted his father's old throne, which he used to overlook the arena.

Hiccup led his father over the audience seats, to where his throne was located. Once they reached it, he carefully helped his father sit down. Hiccup huffed tiredly, resting a hand on his father's shoulder.

"Good luck," Stoick spoke as Hiccup was turning away.

"Thanks," he replied, before turning back and heading to the entrance of the arena.

When Hiccup entered the arena, he heard a few cheers. He nodded his head in the direction of his father, before turning to the center of the arena. Toothless sat beside his father, while Ember and Asger watched from two seats closer to the entrance. Snotlout hadn't arrived yet.

They didn't have to wait long, though, because Snotlout came strolling into the arena. Hiccup took notice of his opponent's father taking a seat beside Stoick, and watching his son with an expression that was similar to a scowl. Why was that?

"Settle down, settle down!" Gobber's voice rang out as he approached the two duelers. The one-legged and one-armed man began explaining the rules, and the way to win.

"Rules!" he called out. "No fatal injuries. Anything beyond a few cuts is too much." Hiccup could have sworn he heard Snotlout snort. "No armor, and no cheating! The first to hit the ground for three seconds loses. Once you lose, you're OUT!"

The blond Viking then turned to face the fighters, asking, "Ready?" They both nodded.

"And… BEGIN!"

Hiccup turned his gaze to Snotlout, who had a very determined look on his face. 'Something strange is going on,' Hiccup thought.

Suddenly, Snotlout lunged forward with his sword raised at Hiccup's face. The auburn-haired man quickly ducked under his right arm, and used his prosthetic to kick at Snotlout's back. The larger man stumbled forward, yelping in surprise.

Snotlout was determined to prove himself, though. So he whirled around and swung his sword at Hiccup's feet. Hiccup picked his real foot up, while leaving his prosthetic pushed against the stone floor as hard as he could. The more he pressed down, the less likely the metal was to be knocked off of his shin.

Since Hiccup had managed to leave his real foot unharmed, Snotlout's sword went into his prosthetic instead. The metal on Hiccup's work was strong and lightweight, which caused Snotlout's weapon to nearly fly out of his hands.

However, he managed to catch his sword just on time. The Viking man growled frustratingly, pointing his sword at Hiccup's face as they circled one another.

"Why are you back, useless?" Snotlout snarled, hoping to distract him.

"Why not?" Hiccup asked nonchalantly. Snotlout darted forward, sword swinging at the dragon rider's chest. Hiccup sidestepped effortlessly, while he continued speaking. "Figured I may as well join the fun on Berk."

Snotlout snarled, upper lip curling back in a hateful manner. He hated how he was being humiliated. If he didn't win this, his father was sure to hurt him. He had to do something! And fast.

Hiccup's own sword was clutched tightly with his left hand, which Snotlout figured he could do something about that. So the buff man raced towards him, sword raised high. He then attempted to knock Hiccup's weapon from that one hand, but it didn't seem to work. Instead, Hiccup tossed his sword to his right hand, which caused Snotlout's sword to pass through nothing but air.

"Coward!" Snotlout snarled angrily. "You aren't even attacking me!"

"Maybe that's 'cause I'm trying to keep your embarrassment to a maximum," Hiccup replied calmly, passing his sword back to his left hand.

They narrowed their eyes at one another, continuing to circle each other. Then, Snotlout swung his sword towards the less muscular male. Their weapons clashed together, creating a loud clang. Snotlout pushed forward, attempting to make Hiccup stumble back and lose his focus.

It worked… or so Snotlout thought.

Hiccup was pushed back, but he seemed to be using Snotlout's strength to his advantage. He ducked out of the way, and without anywhere for Snotlout's force to go, he fell forwards. The crowd went silent.

"One!" Gobber counted. "Tw—"

But Snotlout jumped to his feet, his eyes ablaze with anger. He rushed towards his opponent, only to have the other sidestep once more.

"Would ya stop messing around, Hiccup?!" Ember called from the audience. "Just end it already! We have better things to do!"

"Fine, fine!" Hiccup groaned.

Snotlout whirled around and tried yet another attack. He charged at Hiccup, sword poised forward.

And then, a small click could be heard.

The sword Hiccup wielded abruptly lit up with a fiery inferno, earning a loud chorus of gasps from the crowd.

Snotlout's eyes widened, and he stopped his run at Hiccup. But the dragon rider was ready for that. He launched himself at his old tormentor, and held the fiery sword nearby his throat. Snotlout knew he couldn't let himself catch one fire, so he began to stumble back and try to run away.

But Hiccup swung himself in a swift circle, his crippled leg sticking out. As he completed his circle, the leg Hiccup used to stick out from his circle knocked into Snotlout's ankles, causing the man to hit the floor with a loud thud.

Hiccup quickly stood back to his full height, and placed a foot on Snotlout's chest. His ablaze sword was pointed at his face, which caused Snotlout to reel back, as if trying to sink into the floor.

Hiccup barely heard Gobber's countdown. All he heard was, " _THREE_!"

The crowd erupted into applause and cheers, before Hiccup stepped off of Snotlout and clicked a button on his sword. The flames vanished from the metal, and he quickly slipped the weapon into a holster that was connected to his belt.

Stoick felt his chest swell with pride for his returning son. He grew up, that's for sure. He just beat Snotlout in a fight! And he looked as if he put barely any effort into it!

But as Stoick and Hiccup's friends filtered into the arena, Spitelout stormed over to his son. Hiccup frowned, turning to face the father and son.

"You fool!" he heard Spitelout snarl quietly at his son. To anyone else, they would not have heard the quiet insult. Hiccup, however, had been paying attention. "Look what you've done you stupid disappointment!"

And then, Spitelout raised a hand.

But Hiccup rushed forward, latching a hand onto Spitelout's wrist and kneeing him in the stomach. The intimidating man hunched over in pain, while Hiccup pulled his arm behind his back at an agonizing angle.

Spitelout bellowed in a mix of pain and anger, lifting his head to meet Hiccup's eyes.

"How dare you—"

"Shut up, Spitelout," Hiccup spat. "Looks like you'll have to find a new target. One that isn't your son."

XXX

 **A/N:** woahhhhh… I hope this was interesting for you guys! Badass Hiccup strikes! And Spitelout the asshole gets OWNED. Anyways, thanks for all the support!

 **IMPORTANT PLOT NOTE:**  
Ok, most of you said for Hiccup to NOT have his own tribe. But others said YES, for him to have his own tribe. So… I decided to have him be friends with a small group of people, who are all dragon riders. They aren't really a tribe or anything, more like a gang of riders and friends. But in their group, Hiccup is the "leader." It's more of a council thing, but he still makes the final decisions.

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Transformers 0:** Thank you for your input! The note above explains what I decided to do. Does it sound good? Oh, and yeah, lots of people on my other HTTYD stories have said how Hiccup shouldn't be so forgiving of Astrid. Again, thanks!  
 **Silver Wind 02:** Thank you! Cx Ugly-Duckling123: Thank you! He's gonna have a little group, but it's more of a council. Hiccup still makes the final decisions, though.  
 **Guest:** You like that idea? Ok, cool. Thank you! C:  
 **Roughgunner:** ikr I've already had two people post Spitelout is dead AFTER I wrote that chapter. XD Anyways, thanks for your opinion!  
 **ShadowSpirit020:** haha, thanks! Yup, Snothead got whooped!  
 **Eragonfan33:** Thank you! So far I'm not sure if he should have a child or not, though.  
 **Guest:** yay! Me too… obviously. XD Here's the next chapter.  
 **Guest:** haha, thank you! XD LunnaValley23: Thank you! I like the Stormfly and Astrid idea. OOOH. What if she taught Stormfly how to "Speak" like a dog? Like, Stormfly would chirp on command, and it could be her way of saying sorry? xD MMM: Yup! He does xD here it is!  
 **Snoopykid:** Thanks for the opinions! Hmm, that sounds cool. Maybe it could be a girl exiled from her tribe at 4 because she was too frail and weak? And Hiccup could find her? Sounds good to me!  
 **MattAShine:** Yeah, I only put an Author's Note there 'cause I figured people would be posting "OMG SPITELOUT IS DEAD!111!" XD And thanks for the advice!  
 **Guest:** Aw, thanks! Here's the next chapter. (:  
 **DeathStrike59:** Thank you! And so far I'm still deciding on the child idea.  
 **Great:** Thanks! And I chose Spitelout 'cause I wanted him to be hurtful to his son, Snotlout, for a plot. But yeah, I totally forgot to edit the second chapter where Spitelout "dies of a heart attack." XD Oops. Doing it now.  
 **EagleDragon15:** yeah, lots of people seem to be agreeing with that. What about a small group? It's not a tribe, and there's not really a "Leader" but Hiccup has a little, itty-bitty more power than the other members. He basically makes the final decisions for the group.  
 **Miyukie-chama:** Haha, thank you! And sorry, but Hiccup will only be in a small group. Many people seem to be saying they wouldn't like him ruling a tribe.  
 **Sealiman Dawntracker:** Yeah XD I forgot and I remembered, added an Author's Note explaining I'd edit it out of the second chapter where I say he dies, and then I forgot to actually edit it out. I'm on it now lol.  
 **Animefortin95:** That's what I said in the second chapter, but now I'm going off to edit it. I totally forgot… oops. But thanks for reminding me!  
 **alon2442:** Google translate does not work very well. XD But thanks for the opinion (from what I could understand most of it)  
The Shadow Fright Dragon: -Gothi walks you with staff- wait. A TYPO OH NOOOOOO. FRICK. HIDE THE EVIDENCE. QUICK!  
 **Sadico:** You're welcome C: And here it is. But I'm planning on Hiccup only being in a small group, not a tribe.  
 **Ken106348:** True, true. I'm having Hiccup be in a small group, where they are all equals. EXCEPT, Hiccup has an itty-bitty bit of more power, because he makes the final decisions. But the others have the power to vote his decision as a yes or no. How's that sound?

 **THANKS EVERYONE. –kisses all of you–**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Alright, some of you have been saying to include flashbacks over what has happened through the last eight years for Hiccup. This chapter is dedicated to only some of Hiccup's memories c: Enjoy!

This chapter is extra long, so enjoy! :D

XXX

Time of Dying — Chapter Four

Hiccup has run away from Berk. He's been gone for eight years, with barely any signs proving he is alive. But when Stoick grows extremely ill, the only person left to the position of Chief is Snotlout. The tribe is going into chaos, and they only have one person to turn to: Hiccup. They must contact him as soon as possible, and convince him to return to Berk. But he's not the same little boy he was before….

XXX

Hiccup finally released Spitelout, while Snotlout stared at him in awe. The rescued man looked stunned, obviously surprised at seeing his opponent telling off his harmful father. The bystanders locked their eyes on the sight, also shocked to see Spitelout attempting to injure his son. But once Hiccup had fended him off, they relaxed.

Spitelout huffed, rubbing his sore arm. He stared at Hiccup with hate boiling in him. He narrowed both eyes, and snarled by curling back his upper lip and gritting his teeth.

"Spitelout?" Stoick piped up. "You just tried to hit your son."

Spitelout paled, noticing the crowd gathering around him. His dark eyes widened, as he glanced around wildly. This was not good for him.

"Spitelout, you will be moved to the Berk jail for hurting your son, Snotlout," Stoick announced.

The newly-arrested Viking gasped quietly, before whirling around and facing his son. "You fool! Look what you've done—"

Hiccup stepped in by snatching up the angry man's shirt, and pulling him back. "Give it up, Spitelout," he ordered calmly.

Said Viking shot a harsh glare towards his son, before turning back to face the man restraining him. However, before he could shoot back a furious remark, he was grasped onto by rough hands.

It was the Berkians. Two of the guards latched onto each arm, and began dragging him away from the scene. Stoick huffed angrily, before redirecting his attention to Snotlout.

"Are you all right?" the ginger-haired Chief asked, a weak cough escaping afterwards.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," Snotlout murmured shamefully. Turning to Hiccup, he gave the tall man a long, calculating stare. He searched for any signs of regret for helping him, or for his intentions. Finding nothing to answer his questions, he decided to voice them.

"Why'd you help me?" Snotlout queried to Hiccup.

Hiccup paused, rubbing the back of his neck shyly. "It was the right thing to do. No parent should ever abuse their child."

Snotlout nodded slowly, dark brown eyes locking onto Hiccup's forest-green ones. "Thanks," he muttered quietly.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Hiccup smirked teasingly, already knowing what he had said.

"I said thanks," Snotlout murmured, slightly louder.

Knowing it was no use to get Snotlout to give up his ego, Hiccup just chuckled and nodded. "You're welcome."

XXX

Stoick insisted they celebrate after Hiccup's win. He was just thrilled to have his son back. No matter how many times Hiccup tried turning down the offer for a party, Stoick kept pushing. So at last, he gave in.

Hiccup found himself ambling towards the Mead Hall, with Toothless padding beside him. On his left was Asger and his Skrill, while on the right was Ember and her Nadder. Hiccup had already set the blue and yellow Nadder free, but she decided to stay on Berk. The other lavender Nadder was currently exploring the village, which left Toothless, Savvy (Ember's dragon), and Lightning (Asger's dragon).

Behind the six was the large group of Berkians, all following. Ember chuckled at their expectant faces, and turned to face Hiccup.

"Well, congratulations, Zoriik. You're officially a Berk celebrity," she teased.

Hiccup snorted, before replying unenthusiastically, "Woo-hoo."

Stoick sent a couple Vikings to fetch drinks and food, while Hiccup reluctantly took a seat at the center table. Stoick clapped a ginormous hand on his auburn-haired son's shoulder, smiling encouragingly. With his eyes wandering the crowd, Hiccup spotted Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Fishlegs, and Astrid. Was it just him, or did she get even prettier overnight?

He was engulfed in a frenzy of questions, most consisting of him spilling out all his adventures. He chuckled at their insistency, shaking his head in amusement. Still stubborn as ever, he realized.

Finally, Hiccup held up both hands to silence the audience. "Uh, where do I even start?"

It probably wasn't the best question to ask, because then the shouts just came flying at him again.

XXX

 _A week passed since he had abandoned his tribe, and left for a dragon. They flew for a few hours straight, and then spotted a small island on the horizon. When they had landed, they were surprised to see not a single person in sight. They were suspicious at first, but found they were too tired to complain. So they found shelter, and slept._

 _In that week, Hiccup endured many things. He found out more about the wilderness, and discovered what it was like to not be in a warm, cozy house. Instead, he now slept in a cave, while huddling in Toothless' wings._

 _But then, it changed._

 _Hiccup's body grew adjusted to the wilderness, and he bonded with Toothless. Their trust in one another was strengthened, and they had to trust each other with their lives to communicate properly._

 _After a specific traumatizing event, something amazing happened. Hiccup had been hunting—yes, hunting—when a rogue boar had attacked him. He had been struggling to fend it off, when suddenly, something clicked in his mind. He opened his mouth, and let out an inhumane roar._

 _Up to this day, Hiccup has no clue what happened in that fateful moment. Something shifted in his mind, and a dragon-like roar rang out. Next thing he knew, Toothless had burst into the clearing, and tackled the large boar off of him. Once the boar spotted the Night Fury, it made a frightened noise, and retreated._

 _Toothless had given Hiccup a very bewildered look, wondering how he had managed to give a dragon's roar._

 _"::Vir drey hi dreh tol?::" (Translation: How did you do that?) Toothless rumbled._

 _To anyone else, it would have sounded as just a collection of rumbles and growls, but Hiccup heard something that sounded like a foreign language. As if Toothless knew exactly what he was saying._

 _"Wait, did you just speak some kind of language?" Hiccup asked._

 _"::Geh… Uh oo.::" (Translation: Yes… Uh oh.)_

 _"Ok, I've officially gone mad!" Hiccup exclaimed._

 _"::Zu'u lorot mu nunon grin!::" (Translation: I think we just bonded!) Toothless roared happily._

 _"I-I can't understand what you're saying!" Hiccup growled frustratingly. "But it's weird… like, I don't hear growls and hisses anymore. I can hear you speaking some weird language."_

 _"::Zu'u alun grin lost nunon tey! Nuz niidro saad!::" (Translation: I always thought bonding was just a tale. But it's real!)_

 _"H-How are you doing that?!" Hiccup gasped loudly. "Stop it!"_

 _"::Zu'u lost zaak!::" (Translation: I have an idea!) Toothless mumbled._

 _"Stop doing that! I can't even—"_

 _"::Ick—up!::" Toothless tried._

 _Hiccup paused, frowning in thought. "Did you just try to say my name?"_

 _"::Geh,::" (Translation: Yes) the Night Fury answered._

 _"T-This is weird," Hiccup muttered._

 _"::Zu'u lorot Zu'u mindok vir mu vis geblaan grin!::" (Translation: I think I know how we can complete the bond!) Toothless frowned in thought._

 _"For the last time, I can't—"_

 _Hiccup yelped loudly as Toothless lunged forward, pinning him to the ground. The Night Fury sighed sadly, before trying once more. "::Krosis…::" (Translation: sorry) the dragon mumbled, before lifting a single claw._

 _Hiccup stared at his companion in horror. Was the dragon going to kill him?! After all they had been through?! No, this couldn't happen. It wouldn't happen! They had run away together! Hiccup had helped him fly again! Surely he wouldn't—_

 _Then, Toothless tried his best to make the pain quick. He barely dug his claw into the boy's wrist, which drew a single drop of blood. The Night Fury kept the boy to the ground, making sure he didn't run off. He needed Hiccup to trust him._

 _The black dragon then lifted the same claw to his own shoulder, where he scratched himself. Hiccup watched with confusion as Toothless hurt himself, after hurting him. What was he doing?_

 _The winged reptile softly placed the same claw on the cut laid upon Hiccup's wrist, and then returned the claw to his own cut. The drop of Hiccup's blood entered the newly-made wound, making a buzz of energy fly through the dragon._

 _For a moment, Toothless froze completely. Hiccup was too stunned to move away. Then, the dragon reopened his emerald-colored eyes, and stared into his rider's forest-green ones. It was as if he was saying 'Trust me.'_

 _Finally, Toothless scraped one drop of blood from his own cut, and then placed it onto Hiccup's wrist. The boy immediately tensed up, but continued watching the dragon intently._

 _And abruptly, a strange surge of energy erupted in his body. His muscles went stiff, his eyes screwed shut tightly, and he suddenly froze completely. His chest didn't continue rising for a few seconds, and Toothless grew worried. He nudged the auburn-haired boy on his cheek, hoping to reawaken him from the bond._

 _Hiccup's eyes flew open, only to be met with florescent green ones. He was breathing heavily, trying to understand what had just happened. Toothless cut him on the wrist… but then cut himself. And then, it looked as if the dragon put each other's blood in the two wounds._

 _"::Hiccup? Vis hi mindoraan zey?::" (Translation: Hiccup? Can you understand me?) Toothless asked hopefully._

 _"::Fos faal—FOS HECK?!::" (Translation: What the—WHAT THE HECK?!) Hiccup suddenly spoke._

 _He clasped his hands over his mouth, eyes wide in shock. What language did he just speak?! And how could he understand Toothless' weird language? It was like he could hear the strange sounds escaping his and Toothless' mouths, but in his mind, they processed into a Norse translation. It made him understand just what he and Toothless were saying._

 _"::Hiccup, nii los bek. Mu los grin nu.::" (Translation: Hiccup, it is okay. We are bonded now.) Toothless murmured reassuringly._

 _"::Vir heck drey hi dreh tol? Fos koros?::" (Translation: How the heck did you do that? What happened?) Hiccup queried shakily. He was still in shock._

 _"::Zu'u fen gelaar fod mu ofaal zek wah spaal. Bo nau,::" (Translation: I will explain when we get back to shelter. Come on.) Toothless replied, sitting up._

 _Hiccup rose to his shaky legs, struggling to stand. Toothless seemed to notice, and turned to the boy. He nudged his head under his arm, and allowed the runaway to lean against him to walk._

 _"T-Thanks," he murmured. "Wait, how come I'm speaking Norse again?"_

 _"::Nii vis branaat zek ahrk amativ. Hi nunon praag wah mindos vir wah imaar nii,::" (Translation: It can switch back and forth. You just need to learn how to control it.) Toothless explained._

 _He guided his rider back to their little camp, where they saw a small cave hidden by tendrils and vines. The dragon helped Hiccup to step into the cave, due to it being a few steps higher than the ground._

 _The pair entered the cave silently, while Hiccup's head was spinning. He had so many questions about what had just happened. He had "bonded" with Toothless? What did that mean? And how could he understand his… language? How come he could SPEAK his language?! He didn't even know his vocal cords could make those noises!_

 _"::Bek, Zu'u los bek hi lost pogaan laan. Zu'u fen gelaar pah nol gon.::" (Translation: Alright, I am sure you have many questions. I'll explain everything from the beginning.) Toothless sighed._

 _Inhaled deeply, he began the story._

 _"::Fod Zu'u lost goraaniik, Zu'u lahney ahst dovah leret. Dii lafaan lost vomindok, ahrk Zu'u lost nid ragnavir. Vutharaak, Zu'u drey lost pruzah fahdon. monah fun pah stories. Nust saag do vir waan mun lost wah vahraak dovah, atruk amazing fund koros. Apparently hi kent ov enook vorey voth hin lahney. Ahrk mu dreh. Nust saag vir grin los rinik, rinik num. Num wey Vulon Furies. Mindin pah, fos mun fund vahraak dovah? Hi fund, Hiccup. Wah gon grin, hi kent sav enook voreyro lahney. Hi sav dii, hel dii stin ahrk making zey dii slov. Zu'u nunon sav hin. grin gon naal mindoraan dovah sahgaat zurun honaat ko niist tinvok. Usually, jul nunon hon raal ahrk hisses. Nuz nu, hi vis hon zey tinvaak. Wah strin grin, hi kent ofanix sos. Tol los druv Zu'u vey mii ney. Ahrk Zu'u los rinik krosis fah tol, Hiccup. Zu'u didn't laan wah ahraan hi.::"_

 _(Translation: When I was younger, I lived at the dragon nest. My parents were unknown, and I had no family. However, I did have good friends. The mothers told all the stories. They said of how if a human were to spare a dragon, something amazing would happen. Apparently you must trust each other with your lives. And we do._

 _They said how the bond is very, very rare. Rarer than Night Furies. After all, what human would spare a dragon? You would, Hiccup._

 _To begin the bond, you must save each other's lives. You saved mine, by setting my free and making me my tail. I just saved yours. The bond begins by the human understanding the dragon saying strange noises in their language. Usually, humans just hear growls and hisses. But now, you can hear me speak. To seal the bond, you must exchange blood. That is why I cut us both. And I am very sorry for that, Hiccup. I didn't want to hurt you.)_

 _Hiccup sighed, listening to the story intently. It was very shocking to hear such a thing. Anyone else would have gone crazy at the thought of understanding what a dragon says, but now, he knew the truth._

 _It was quite a lot to take in. Bonding with a dragon, exchanging blood, understanding each other's languages. It was all too much for his poor mind. He was ready to pass out._

 _"So, can you understand Norse now?" Hiccup asked._

 _"::Geh. Zok dovah nunon mindok muldeytorax ahrk malur, med Zu'u drey nunon getiid vod. Nuz dahik mu los nu grin, mu vis rinik clearly mindoraan ney tinvok.::" (Translation: Yes. Most dragons only know bits and pieces, like I did just moments ago. But because we are now bonded, we can very clearly understand both languages.) Toothless replied._

 _"Wow, ok…." Hiccup trailed off, trying to comprehend all that had happened in the time span of half an hour._

 _"So… what now?" he asked._

 _Toothless smirked. "::Mu ofanix stories!::" (Translation: We exchange stories!)_

 _"Alright… you first."_

XXX

Everyone leaned forward in their seats, while a couple people even fell off their chairs. The Vikings listened intently, never taking their eyes off of the dragon rider. Hiccup felt uncomfortable with all those wide eyes on him, but nonetheless finished up his story.

"So, yeah. That's what Dovahzul is, and how Toothless and I bonded," he concluded.

"Can you control when you speak the Dovee—um, the dragon language now?" a small blonde girl asked from the crowd, looking no older than eight years old.

Hiccup's heart melted at the sight of such an adorable little girl. Damn, he always had a soft spot for kids.

"Yup," he smiled. "Dreh daar fahraal hin laan?" (Translation: Does this answer your question?)

Every let out murmurs of surprise, nodding their heads eagerly. "Can the other riders speak Dovahzul?" a beefy brunet man inquired with genuine curiosity.

Ember frowned sadly. "I can't, and neither than Asger. But our dragons can understand Norse pretty well, since Hiccup and Toothless help teach them."

"Yes, every dragon that has been around Vikings know bits and pieces of the Norse language," Asger added.

The crowd exchanged amazed, but slightly doubtful, glances. They had never imagined dragons to be so intelligent. They always thought they were merciless beasts, that killed and raided them for fun.

"How did you meet each other? And convince Ember and Asger to ride dragons?" asked Fishlegs. Hiccup opened his mouth, and began recalling the memory.

XXX

 _Weeks turned into months, and months turned into years. After a year of travelling around, Hiccup came across a small village on a tiny island. They didn't have many issues with dragons, but still disliked the fact Hiccup befriended one._

 _After showing how kind Toothless is to the youngsters, they managed to help him convince his parents to help them out with dragons. So he found two Deadly Nadders in the forest, both a lavender shade. They must have been siblings, too, because they looked very similar._

 _Hiccup managed to gain the two dragons' trust, and then led them back to the village. The chief, Harek, and his daughter, Ember, accepted the two Deadly Nadders. Harek named his Morek, and Ember named hers Savvy (for her knowledge)._

 _Within a few weeks, Hiccup helped all the villagers bond with their dragons. But of course, none of them had managed to bond as deeply as him and Toothless. Sometimes people gave him strange looks for speaking such a unique language, but he always ignored them._

 _But then, disaster struck. A ginormous group of pirates attacked, hoping to get to the dragon trainers. They wanted their own dragons, against their wills, to fight for them._

 _Harek was killed in the battle. Ember was devastated, but Savvy managed to comfort her. Morek changed as well. He snapped at strangers, and growled at anyone who got too close to Ember, Savvy, Hiccup, or Toothless._

 _Four weeks after the battle, Hiccup knew he had to leave._

 _"::Bek, mu praag wah lif. Zu'u nis verut daar joriin naan lingrahiik,::" (Translation: Alright, we need to leave. I can't endanger these people any longer.) he told Toothless through the Dovahzul language. He didn't want anyone to overhear them._

 _The Night Fury crooned sadly, before reluctantly agreeing._

 _But as they were flying away from the island of Dorsche, he saw two figures soaring after him. He groaned in irritation, before swerving Toothless to face the followers._

 _It was Ember riding Savvy, with Morek following the pair._

 _"What do you think you're doing?" Hiccup asked. Over the time span of more than a year and a half, he had gained confidence._

 _"Coming with you," Ember replied snidely._

 _"What? No, no way—"_

 _"Either you let us come, or we'll just follow you everywhere you go," she interrupted._

 _"Ugh! Ember, I can't just—"_

 _"Please," she murmured pleadingly. "I want to explore the world. I want to avenge my father. I want to LIVE! Please, let us come."_

 _Hiccup sighed in defeat, before knowing he lost the fight. And with that, they continued flying through the darkness._

XXX

"Yup, I won that argument pretty easily," Ember smirked triumphantly.

Hiccup huffed, pouting playfully. A few people chuckled at the look.

"What about me?" Asger gasped with mock hurt.

XXX

 _The next time Hiccup gained consciousness from defeating the Red Death, was when he found himself in a strange environment. He slowly peeled his eyes open, to see he was in a cave. There was a bucket of water next to him, and a wet washcloth on his forehead. He turned his head to the right, where he saw himself laying in a comfortable bed. He then spotted Toothless, who had just woken up._

 _"::Hiccup!::" He cried happily._

 _Hiccup smiled happily, chuckling at Toothless' gummy smile. "Hey, Toothless," he mumbled. "What happened?"_

 _"::Mu kuz tir jud. Mu drey nii, Hiccup! Pah dovah los stin nu.::" (Translation: We took out the queen. We did it, Hiccup! All the dragons are free now.) Toothless explained._

 _"R-Really?" he laughed happily. "W-Wow… how long have I been out?"_

 _"::Jahrii iilah kenlik.::" (Translation: A full moon cycle.) Toothless replied._

 _"You mean a month?" Hiccup asked. "Huh, yeah, well—wait, what's the catch?"_

 _"::Horvutah? Til los nid. Oo, nuz….::" (Translation: Catch? There is none. Oh, well….) Toothless hesitated._

 _"C'mon, bud, what is it? I doubt—"_

 _He paused as he shifted in bed, finding he could only feel half of his lower leg. He could not feel anything below his upper shin. He frowned, glancing down and pulling the covers off of himself. He inhaled sharply at the sight, stunned beyond words._

 _There was metal that replaced part of the limb. It was well crafted, and looked to be sturdy. Hiccup was scared, though. He couldn't believe his eyes. He lost part of his leg! How was he supposed to react to that?_

 _He heard Toothless get to his paws, and amble over worriedly. Hiccup sighed sadly, before swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. He looked up to Toothless who was frowning worriedly._

 _"Alright," he breathed nervously. "Here it goes."_

 _He stood, but yelped in pain at the prosthetic digging into the remainder of his leg. As he tried to step forward, he tripped. Toothless caught him, though, and helped him stand back up. Hiccup thanked the dragon, and then proceeded to try again._

 _When he exited the strange area he woke from, he was surprised to see Ember talking with an unfamiliar man, while the two Night Furies hung off to the side. A black and red Skrill sat beside the stranger, before he suddenly growled to his rider._

 _The man glanced over to where the Skrill gestured, and his eyes landed on Hiccup. He stepped forward, holding a hand out to the now crippled teenager._

 _"You must be Hiccup," the man greeted kindly. Hiccup hesitated, before shaking his hand. Ember smiled reassuringly, as if saying the man was trustworthy._

 _This guy couldn't be much older than himself. Maybe a couple years at the most. He was about the same height as Hiccup, but maybe a bit taller. He had muscle, but not as much as a Viking. He still came off as strong and powerful, though. Especially with the Skrill at his side._

 _"Yeah," Hiccup replied hesitantly. "That's me. Where are we? And who're you?"_

 _"I'm Asger. That Skrill is my dragon, Lightning. Oh and we're at my home. It's not much, but once I found out about you and your Night Fury, I figured I should help out," he explained._

 _"Oh. So… you're the reason I'm still here?" Hiccup asked awkwardly. Asger nodded. "Sorry 'bout that… I didn't know."_

 _"That's fine," he shrugged. "Nice Night Fury you have there, by the way. His name's Toothless right?"_

 _"Yeah, how'd you know?"_

 _"Ember told me," Asger responded, pointing a thumb over his shoulder to where the girl stood beside the two lavender-colored Nadders._

 _"Oh… yeah, that's Toothless."_

 _Within an hour, the three had already bonded. They shared their stories, about how their past lives were. When Hiccup told his, they frowned sympathetically, saying how rude the Berkians were. He just laughed it off, happy that he was free now._

 _"…Asger?" Hiccup queried reluctantly. He was slightly nervous about this question._

 _"Hmm?" he hummed._

 _"Er… do you know how to fight?" the one-legged teenager asked with a hint of hesitance._

 _"Do I?" Asger chuckled. "Let me show ya what I know. Maybe you won't look like such a twig then."_

 _"Hey!"_

XXX

Stoick coughed a few times during the storytelling, which only made Hiccup's mood tumble down. He would politely stop the story, help his father drink a cup of water, and continue his tale. Stoick was always extremely grateful, but guilty for ruining all the fun for the other villagers.

"Wait, so how'd you lose your leg again?" a large, towering woman spoke up, voicing her question.

"I lost it fighting the queen," Hiccup answered, already knowing what they would ask next. "I guess I'll go ahead and explain that too."

XXX

 _Another year and a half passed since they had left Dorsche. Toothless had taken Hiccup to the nest, and when he returned to his three companions, he told them what happened. Ember agreed they should do something about it, and they began planning their attack._

 _The plan was simple. Ember, Savvy, and Morek would get the Red Death (the queen Hiccup had named) mad and up. Then, Hiccup and Toothless would come in. They'd lead the Red Death up into the dark clouds, and vanish from sight. Toothless would shoot several plasma blasts at the beast's wings, tearing holes in them. Then, they'd dive and the queen would follow. Eventually, she'd crash into the ground, and she'd be killed._

 _It was such an easy plan. So why did it have to go so wrong?_

 _Phase one went completely smoothly. Ember, Savvy, and Morek got the Red Death out of the nest, and into the open. Hiccup came in once the queen was angered, and the Deadly Nadders hit their shot limit._

 _Toothless gave his signature shriek, which rang out across the area loudly. The ginormous beast was already furious, so once Toothless and Hiccup arrived, it was already spreading its wings out._

 _"Alright, Toothless. Time to disappear!" Hiccup called to his Night Fury in Norse. He figured it would be best, since the Red Death couldn't understand much of Norse, but Toothless could understand it._

 _"::Hi ofaal nii!::" (Translation: You got it!)_

 _They flew as one being, with Hiccup controlling his prosthetic, and Toothless giving in the energy. They were bonded, which meant they were brothers now. No, they were more than that. They could trust each other with their lives._

 _Everything went according to plan up in the gloomy clouds. Toothless had one shot left, and Hiccup knew exactly what to use it on._

 _"Don't shoot yet," Hiccup ordered. "I'll tell you when. Now dive!"_

 _But just as the pair were diving, the Red Death parted its jaws and released a fiery blast of air. Toothless flapped his wings harder, trying to avoid getting the tail caught on fire, but it didn't work. Flames licked up at the leather, already disintegrating._

 _"Time's up!" Hiccup murmured. "Now we dive!"_

 _Toothless obeyed immediately, by swerving around and redirecting his attention to the ground. The Red Death spotted the black dot, and hurriedly dived after the two._

 _Toothless was growing increasingly exhausted. His eyes were wide, he was panting through his mouth, and his wings ached severely. Hiccup noticed, because he patted the dragon's head and glanced behind him to see where the queen was._

 _"Just a little bit longer, Toothless," he assured the Night Fury._

 _Finally, they were close enough to the ground. Hiccup paused for a second, clicking the tailfin into a certain position. "Hold, Toothless," he called over the raging wind going by their ears._

 _The black dragon instantly slowed down, causing the Red Death to open her mouth and prepare to set the two ablaze._

 _"NOW!" Hiccup shouted._

 _Toothless' body immediately took action. His wings rotated, so that he was now facing the descending queen. He drew his head back, and released his own plasma blast. The beast chasing after them was hit directly inside of its body, making it roar out._

 _Finally, it was over. Well, at least that's what Hiccup thought. He was wrong._

 _As the queen dove into the ground, they were stuck dodging the ridges on its back and tail. Hiccup shifted his foot as quickly as he could to avoid the sharp spikes on its body, but it was too late._

 _CLICK! CLINK!_

 _Hiccup glanced back to see the damaged tailfin slip off of Toothless, making him gasp. How would they get out of here?_

 _"No," Hiccup whispered as the gigantic, sharp-bladed tail came at them. "NO!" he screamed, but it was no use._

 _An excruciating smack was all it took. It struck him and Toothless, and next thing he knew, he was freefalling. He watched with wide eyes as his best friend dived after him into the blazing inferno, which was sure to end Hiccup's life._

 _But it didn't._

XXX

Once the story came to an end, Hiccup was yawning. He was already getting tired from sharing his adventures.

"Wait!" the same blonde little girl exclaimed. "Where did you learn to fight so good?"

Hiccup frowned at all the memories of battle he had endured. All the bloodshed, aftermath, and scars. All the comfort he had shared with his brothers and sisters. Thank the Gods he had Toothless, Asger, Ember, and their dragons.

"That, little missy, is for another time," Hiccup teased the kid. She instantly pouted, letting out a long "Aw!"

"Oh, al'ight," Gobber suddenly stood up, smiling at his old apprentice. "Let the lad get some rest."

Shooting a grateful expression to Gobber, the twenty-three year old stood up, and let everyone file out of the Mead Hall before him. While waiting, he stood beside Stoick and his companions.

"You have gone through quite a lot," Stoick suddenly observed as the last remaining Vikings exited the building.

Hiccup sighed. "Yeah, I know."

And just as Stoick opened his mouth, Hiccup intervened. "And no. I'll continue all my stories some other time. I'm tired, Dad."

Stoick chuckled, nodding in agreement. "Right, son. Good night."

"'Night."

XXX

 **A/N:** WE'RE ALMOST AT 200 FOLLOWS! :D Woohoo! Keep it up, guys! This is awesome!

 **DragonReader99:** Right, thanks for your opinion! :D The little brother idea is fantastic!

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 **Midnight510:** Thanks for the advice! Those are some pretty good ideas! And yes, it'll be Hiccstrid. (: It may take a little while, though. Oh, and I'm planning on having the old gang get along with Ember and Asger.

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